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HIGHLIGHTS OF LANZAROTE AND FUERTEVENTURA

4

Highlights of Lanzarote and Fuerteventura

1

Witness the
results of the
gigantic forces that
shape the Earth in
Lanzaroteâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s spectacular craters, lava
fields and massif
cliff walls (route 2
and 5).

2

Rise at dawn and track down
the desert birds, like Houbara
Bustard, Cream-coloured Courser,
and the endemic Canary Island
Chat (route 3, 7 and 8).

3

See the amazing, colourful, subtropical ocean
life by snorkelling or from the
comfort of a glass-bottom boat
or submarine (page 158).

4

Trace the ecological processes of
evolution and marvel at
the endemic plants and
animals on the islands
(page 21).

HIGHLIGHTS OF LANZAROTE AND FUERTEVENTURA

5

Take a boat trip to enjoy the
dolphins and the unique
variety of seabirds around the
Canary Islands (route 6, site L on
page 122 and page 157).

6

Hike through the barrancos and along the cliffs and
marvel at the rich and sometimes
bizarrely shaped flora of these
desert islands (route 4, 9 and
pages 121 and 151).

7

Island hop to appreciate the different landscapes, flora and fauna.

8

Cycle round La Graciosa
and imagine yourself in the landscape of the
Canaries before the arrival
of Man (route 6).

5

ABOUT THIS GUIDE

About this guide

6
car route

bicycle route

walking route

beautiful
scenery
interesting
history

This guide is meant for all those who enjoy being in and learning about
nature, whether you already know all about it or not. It is set up a little differently from most guides. We focus on explaining the natural and ecological features of an area rather than merely describing the site. We choose
this approach because the nature of an area is more interesting, enjoyable
and valuable when seen in the context of its complex relationships. The
interplay of different species with each other and with their environment
is astonishing. The clever tricks and gimmicks that are put to use to beat
life’s challenges are as fascinating as they are countless.
Take our namesake the Crossbill: at first glance it is just a big finch with
an awkward bill. But there is more to the Crossbill than meets the eye.
This bill is beautifully adapted for life in coniferous forests. It is used like
scissors to cut open pinecones and eat the seeds that are unobtainable for
other birds. In the Scandinavian countries where Pine and Spruce take up
the greater part of the forests, several Crossbill species have each managed
to answer two of life’s most pressing questions: how to get food and avoid
direct competition. By evolving crossed bills, each differing subtly, they
have secured a monopoly of the seeds produced by cones of varying sizes.
So complex is this relationship that scientists are still debating exactly
how many different species of Crossbill actually exist. Now this should
heighten the appreciation of what at first glance was merely a plumb red
bird with a beak that doesn’t close properly. Once its interrelationships are
seen, nature comes alive, wherever you are.
To some, impressed by the ‘virtual’ familiarity that television has granted
to the wilderness of the Amazon, the vastness of the Serengeti or the sublimity of Yellowstone, European nature may seem a puny surrogate, good
merely for the casual stroll. In short, the argument seems to be that if you
haven’t seen a Jaguar, Lion or Grizzly Bear, then you haven’t seen the ‘real
thing’. Nonsense, of course.
But where to go? And how? What is there to see? That is where this guide
comes in. We describe the how, the why, the when, the where and the how
come of Europe’s most beautiful areas. In clear and accessible language,
we explain the nature of Lanzarote and Fuerteventura and refer extensively
to routes where the area’s features can be observed best. We try to make
Lanzarote and Fuerteventura come alive. We hope that we succeed.

HOW TO USE THIS GUIDE

How to use this guide
This guidebook contains a descriptive and a practical section. The descriptive part comes first and gives you insight into the most striking and interesting natural features of the area. It provides an understanding of what
you will see when you go out exploring. The descriptive part consists of a
landscape section (marked with a red bar), describing the habitats, the history and the landscape in general, and of a flora and fauna section (marked
with a green bar), which discusses the plants and animals that occur in
the region.
The second part offers the practical information (marked with a purple
bar). A series of routes (walks and car drives) are carefully selected to
give you a good flavour of all the habitats, flora and fauna that Lanzarote
and Fuerteventura have to offer. At the start of each route description, a
number of icons give a quick overview of the characteristics of each route.
These icons are explained in the margin of this page. The final part of the
book (marked with blue squares) provides some basic tourist information
and some tips on finding plants, birds and other animals.
There is no need to read the book from cover to cover. Instead, each small
chapter stands on its own and refers to the routes most suitable for viewing the particular features described in it. Conversely, descriptions of each
route refer to the chapters that explain more in depth the most typical
features that can be seen along the way.
In the back of the guide we have included a list of all the mentioned plant
and animal species, with their scientific names and translations into
German and Dutch. Some species names have an asterix (*) following
them. This indicates that there is no official English name for this species
and that we have taken the liberty of coining one. We realise this will meet
with some reservations by those who are familiar with scientific names.
For the sake of readability however, we have decided to translate the scientific name, or, when this made no sense, we gave a name that best describes the species’ appearance or distribution. Please note that we do not
want to claim these as the official names. We merely want to make the text
easier to follow for those not familiar with scientific names. An overview
of the area described in this book is given on the map on page 13. For your
convenience we have also turned the inner side of the back flap into a map
of the area indicating all the described routes. Descriptions in the explanatory text refer to these routes.

7
interesting
flora
interesting
­invertebrate
life
interesting
reptile and
amphibian life
interesting
wildlife
interesting
birdlife
visualising
the ­ecological
contexts
­described in
this guide
site for
snorkelling

Timanfaya, the fire mountain
The Timanfaya lava fields on Lanzarote are part of the Timanfaya National Park
which covers about a fourth of the island. The eruptions in the 18th century have
given us some of the most important accounts of volcanism in modern times. It
was a spectacular event that continued, with intervals, for more than five years.
This was witnessed by a local priest who lived a few kilometres away, in the village of Yaiza. That he survived is a miracle, considering the fact that life on
much of the island was extinguished. His written account states:
“The first day of September, 1730, between nine and ten at night, the earth
suddenly opened near Timanfaya, two leagues of Yaiza. On the first night an
enormous mountain rose up from the earth, and flames came out of the peak
which kept burning for nineteen days” .

During strong easterlies, Sahara sand is
blown over the islands
and deposited on
the plains. Corralejo
Nature Park,
Fuerteventura.

The land that was buried under the lava was some of the most fertile of the island, where grain and vegetables were cultivated. A total of 20 (!) villages were
buried and 420 buildings were destroyed. All crops were lost, farm animals died,
the wells vaporised and farmland was buried forever. Many people died, either
directly or as a result of toxic fumes, and those who survived were left without
property or means for survival.
And today, all this is a National Park. Think about that fertile land when you visit
this outerworldly, Mars-like landscape.
Because the eruptions were so recent (the last one was in 1824), you have the opportunity to see some of the more spectacular features of volcanism. In one area
that is often visited (part of route 2), the temperature just 10 metres below the
surface is 600 ° C. Only 10 centimetres under the plastic soles of your neighbours
flipflops (surely you thought of putting on proper footware!), the temperature is
as high as 160° C.

moist trade winds. Because the cliffs
form the highest point on the island,
rising straight out of the sea, they
are basically the first thing the wind
meets when it hits Lanzarote. The
trade winds are especially frequent in
summer, just when they are needed
to cool down the atmosphere, and are
nearly constant in the month of July.
Equally, the massive cliffs of La Jandía
and the mountains of Betancuria on
Fuerteventura purge a bit more water
from the air.

CROSSBILL GUIDES • CANARY ISLANDS - I

EVOLUTION

Evolution

21

Life on Lanzarote and Fuerteventura is simple and easy. Tourists abandon the baggage of everyday life, albeit briefly, to leave all their troubles
behind and live lightly.
In a way, nature has done the same. Lanzarote and Fuerteventura rose
from the sea as a biologically blank sheet of paper without a living thing
on it. Hence nature’s routines and ways had to be re-written.
And this is why islands like Fuerteventura and Lanzarote – in fact all
Canary Islands – are such exciting places for biologists. It is on isolated
oceanic islands like these that that the processes of evolution, and the
formation of ecosystems, are best witnessed, because their start can be
traced back to a few events of colonisation. These islands are giant outdoor laboratories of evolution, with the odd, endemic life forms their
products.
It is not at all difficult to plan your visit with the aim of understanding
the evolution of life and the establishment of ecosystems. It’s certainly
a lot cheaper and closer than joining most ‘evolution tourists’ on the
Galapagos islands! In fact it gives you a fascinating, spectacular and
beautiful insight into nature, but, as you’ll see in this chapter, it also
grants us a frightening window into a possible future.
This chapter we have designed as an armchair excursion through some
of the places on Lanzarote and Fuerteventura that form the narrative of
the process of evolution.

Stop 1: How it all began – Timanfaya, Lanzarote

Truly clean slates in evolutionary terms are rare in the world, but in
Timanfaya National Park on Lazarote, you have an example (route 2).
Large parts consist of lava spat out less than 300 years ago. This is the
hottest and most recent volcanic ground on Lanzarote, and is pretty
much devoid of life. Only one group of organisms has been able to colonise this barren ground: lichens.
At its most basic form, life needs two elements: building blocks for a
body (water, carbon, nitrogen and several other elements), and energy
to make and maintain such a body. On Timanfaya, these requirements
are hard to come by. Lichens are super organisms – an alliance between
algae and fungi. These two very different life forms are so tightly woven
together that we can actually speak of a species of lichen. The algal
component of the lichen is, like most plants, able to use the sun’s energy
to take up carbon, while the fungal part is able to absorb minerals from

LANDSCAPE

EVOLUTION

22

Lichens are the first
to colonise the young
lava fields. This is a
Ramalina species.

rock. Hence lichens are able to survive almost anywhere on earth, even here on the
‘Fire Mountain’.

Stop 2: the islotes of Timanfaya – Lanzarote

Driving through Timanfaya, you’ll eventually come to a place where the
monotony of the lichen-clad lavas is interrupted by a vegetated spot. The
Spanish call it an islote, an islet of old lava that wasn’t covered by the 18th
century eruptions.
Here odd-looking, thick-stemmed bushes cover the slopes – bushes of a
kind you won’t find outside the Canary Islands. Most common are Balsam
Spurge and King Juba’s Spurge, members of a family with a worldwide
distribution, but these particular (sub)species occur only on the Canaries.
The seeds of these plants are far too heavy for the wind to carry them,
and the occurrence of such species on volcanic islands is one of these key
pieces in the evolutionary puzzle. The seeds of such plants are likely to
have travelled as cargo in the bellies of birds, such as pigeons, that strayed
too far from the coast and found the inhospitable bare islands as their
only place to land. A lucky poop on a bit of soil (thanks to the lichen cover
there is now some soil and not just bare rock) and the colonisation of the
island is thus underway.

CROSSBILL GUIDES • CANARY ISLANDS - I

EVOLUTION

There are other ways of reaching an oceanic island. The most obvious is
active flight as exemplified by birds, bats and some insects. Wingless animals sometimes travel on ‘rafts’ of floating plant material. Probably this
is how some beetles and other insects arrived along with small lizards
and mammals. This is difficult for larger animals hence, on Lanzarote
and Fuerteventura we find only one native lizard, skink, gecko and land
mammal (a small shrew). This is a considerably less diverse range than
seen in non-flying smaller animals like insects. Although perversely,
many wingless animals like beetles, only lost their capacity to fly once on
the islands. Finally, some animals and plants have exploited mankind’s
capacity of crossing the oceans. They hitched across on a boat.

Stop 3: the cliffs of La Jandía – Fuerteventura

Now lets travel to the southern tip of Fuerteventura, to the peninsula of
La Jandía, where you’ll find more plants than just the Balsam Spurge.
Alongside it grows the conspicuous, cactus-like Canary Spurge, and the
even more prickly Jandía Spurge* (Euphorbia handiensis). The latter is, as
the name implies, restricted to the very slope on which you stand. It is an
endemic, occuring nowhere else in the world.
The odd thing about the flora of La Jandía (and much of the Canaries)
is the presence of many endemic species, which mostly belong to just
a few plant families. On the Canaries, the spurges (Euphorbia), buglosses (Echium), houseleeks (Aeonium, Aichryson) and the daisy family (Asteraceae) are well represented. One very special daisy, the Winter’s
Marguarite* (Argyranthemum winteri), is found on these very slopes.
This odd botanical composition (very few families with many endemic
species) is typical of volcanic islands and is due to two different processes
that enhance one another. First, colonisations are few. Terrestrial birds
don’t often stray this far out from land whilst rafts of plants that accidentally wash up these shores are still fewer. Consequently, those lucky
plants that did manage to establish themselves, had the whole islands
pretty much for themselves. They could quickly spread, making it more
difficult for new arrivals to find their own niche. This explains why there
are very few species groups.
Secondly, each new arrival on an island brings with it a very small range
of genes, just those of the few specimens that managed to establish themselves. Rarely are these a good representation of the vast gene pool of
the mainland population. Most unusual, and even some characteristic,
genetic traits will be lacking, whereas some that were rare in the original population may be over-represented. These rare traits will suddenly

LANDSCAPE

23

EVOLUTION

24

become common in the new population, and within a few generations,
the genetic make-up of the island population will be very different from
that of the mainland – a process called genetic drift. Reproduction in
isolation with an odd subset of genes is the fastest way for a new species
to evolve.

Succulent scrub consisting of King Juba’s
Spurge, Balsam
Spurge and Verode.
The spurge family
shows an exceptional
diversity of species on the Canary
Islands, begging the
evolutionary question:
why so many species,
belonging to so few
families?

Stop 4: the cliffs of Famara – Lanzarote

On Lanzarote there are steep slopes too. The Famara cliffs (route 4) are
not unlike La Jandía: spectacular, north-facing cliffs at the edge of the
ocean. Here you find another marguerite – a pretty yellow one this time,
called Madeira’s Marguarite, which is, confusingly, an endemic wildflower of Lanzarote. If you were to visit Gran Canaria, Tenerife, or the other
islands, you could add many more to the list.
On our previous stop at La Jandía it became clear why only few species
groups are on the islands and why they are represented by endemic species, but how is it possible that there are so many different endemic species within that same group? Why four instead of a single spurge? Three
instead of one houseleek?
The Canary Marguarites are well studied. There are 24 species in total,
of which 20 are endemic to the Canary islands with the others found
only on the other Macaronesian islands. They are a textbook example of
how speciation on islands takes place. The first ‘proto-Marguarite’ seed
germinated on Fuerteventura, arriving from Africa via a passing bird. As

CROSSBILL GUIDES • CANARY ISLANDS - I

EVOLUTION

it flourished, the species’ genetic make-up quickly changed from the ancestral species. Later, in another chance event, a little seed from Fuerteventura arrived on Lanzarote. Yet another period of genetic drift split the
Lanzarote Marguarite from the Fuerteventura one. And then a seed arrived on Gran Canaria etc. Each island its own Marguarite.
But chance is not only caused by random drift. The new environmental
conditions favour a genetic makeup that provides the best adaptations
to novel conditions. Here the plant’s genetic imprint will soon ‘drift’ towards the characteristics needed to survive in these different conditions
– that is, if these genes are present in the original population, or if mutations allowed these traits to develop. This is the process Darwin described
as being key to evolution: natural selection. It explains why succulence
has become such a dominant trait of Canary Island plants: it is the perfect
adaptation to survive. It is also why Tenerife, which has a much more varied set of ecosystems, is home to nine species of Marguerite, each adapted
to its own habitat. Fuerteventura, ecologically a much less
diverse island, has only one.
So isolated islands with a
variety of habitats and limited genetic input are true
biodiversity generators. It is
here that the motors of evolution go full throttle, creating
many different species from
a narrow genetic base coming from only a few families
of plants.

Stop 5: the desert

Enough about plants. What
about birds? Very early in the
morning, the central desert plains of Lanzarote (route 3) give you a good
opportunity to get to grips with the birds of the island. With good light
and decent optics, it isn’t hard to notice that most bird species are a little
different from their mainland relatives. The Buzzard is slightly lighter in
colour and more streaked below. The Kestrel is darker and males have a
darker grey head. Indeed, for resident island birds distinct subspecies are
almost the norm. For example there are local races of Egyptian Vulture,
Houbara Bustard, Trumpeter Finch, Raven and Iberian Grey Shrike (see

LANDSCAPE

25

Shrubby Marguarite,
the most common
and widespread of
the 24 species of
Marguarites on the
Canary islands. All
except 4 are endemic
to the archipelago.

EVOLUTION

26

also box on page 78). Clearly, it is not only
the plants with so many endemics on the
Canaries, as bird populations are also
changing and evolving in new forms.
But there is a big difference between
birds and plants. A viable bird population
needs much more space.

Stop 6: La Graciosa

The Canarian Ravens
are not (yet) considered separate species,
but merely as a subspecies. However, it is
clearly different from
its European relative,
being much smaller
and having a brown
neck and a different
call.

The small islet of La Graciosa is clearly
visible from the miradores on the Famara
cliffs (route 4). The ferry crosses the small strait between Lanzarote and
La Graciosa in less than half an hour (route 6). Walking along the wave
beaten coastal rocks of this small island, you may enjoy a small flight
of Turnstones, and perhaps Whimbrel. Nevertheless, it is oddly silent,
because there is one vital element missing: the Canary Islands or Black
Oystercatcher (see page 86-87). This bird sadly became extinct sometime
in the 20th century. Why is uncertain, but there are plenty of theories! A
little further inland, there is a similar emptiness as the local subspecies
of the Canary Island Stonechat is no more. Reason unknown.
Here, we come to the question of extinction. Why do some species disappear while others flourish? Small islands can only support small populations. Since natural populations always fluctuate, it takes only a little to
bring a population to the brink of extinction. Add a disaster, such as the
Timanfaya eruption, and the extinction often follows.

La Graciosa – once
home to the endemic
Black Oystercatcher
and the Chinijo
Stonechat. Both are
now extinct (see page
86-87).

CROSSBILL GUIDES • CANARY ISLANDS - I

EVOLUTION

Stop 7: goat farm at Los Molinos reservoir

Populations on small islands are also vulnerable, because many species
evolved under conditions where there were only a limited number of
threats. Developing in isolation, without even modestly sized terrestrial
animals, island ecosystems are vulnerable to alien intruders. Sources of
food, be they animal or vegetable, have not developed protective defences.
Any introduction, intended or accidental, can then be a true â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;game changerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;, wiping out existing species in mere generations. Such introductions
are human induced. We brought large herbivores (goats) to the islands.
And we brought cats and rats. And
these changed the appearance of
the Canaries forever.
On a global scale, islands suffered
the biggest loss of species. The
list of Canary Island extinctions,
either human induced, otherwise,
or undecided, is long and contains
the likes of the Giant Rat, the Lava
Mouse, the Giant Lizard and two
shearwaters endemic to Lanzarote
and Fuerteventura, to name but a
few.
History teaches us that the arrival
of people on an oceanic island has
a major negative impact on the endemic flora and fauna. On the Canaries this already started with the arrival of the first settlers, the Guanches
(see history section). Today we witness the second wave of extinction, that
started with the arrival of Europeans on the islands, and still has not
reached its climax.
So small, isolated populations can both herald the birth of new species
and the demise of an existing one. There is much discussion about the
lessons we should learn from island ecology. One of the greatest threats
worldwide to nature today is the chopping up of large areas of pristine
habitat into smaller pieces. We turn biological continents into a collection of isolated islands â&#x20AC;&#x201C; islands with remnant populations of species that
require large areas to survive. If the lessons of island ecology are true,
they offer a frightening look into a grim future, in which once common
plants and animals will grow steadily rarer and slip into extinction simply
because their populations are too small. It turns out that life on Lanzarote
and Fuerteventura is not as light and easy as it seemed.

LANDSCAPE

27

The cause of many
ecological problems
on Fuerteventura: the
goats that strip the island of its vegetation.

HABITATS

28

Habitats
Descriptions of the Canary Islands are often based on the western islands, which are famous for having two very different landscapes. The
south-facing mountain slopes are very hot, dry and desert-like, but
northern ones are cloaked in dense, wet cloud forests. The presence of
two such extremes in a very small area is striking, beautiful, and seen
in only a few places on the planet.
The north-easterly tradewinds are responsible for this sharp contrast in
landscape: the moist air that is blown inland from the sea condenses as
it is forced up the mountain . Once on the far side, it has lost most of
its moisture. When the air drops again to the warm lowland the clouds
evaporate.

thermophilous scrub
p 47

Cross section of an
Eastern Canary Island
showing the different
habitats from north
(left) to south (right).

rocky coast
p 31

CROSSBILL GUIDES • CANARY ISLANDS - I

young lava fields
p 42

HABITATS

Lanzarote and Fuerteventura lack this near daily process of cloudformation, because their mountains are not high enough. Only the
great cliffs of Famara (Lanzarote) and La JandĂ­a (Fuerteventura) are
high enough, just, to capture a little humidity. Hence Lazanrote and
Fuerteventura largely lack the diverse Canarian nature. Only on these
steep cliffs and hillsides will you find the odd vegetation for which the
western islands are famous
But what Lanzarote and Fuerteventura lack in diversity, they make up
for in quality! It is here that you will find a very wide range of arid landscapes, such as stony arid plains, young lava fields and dunes of sand
blown in from the Sahara. In contrast to the precipitous western islands,
there are many rolling desert plains on Lanzarote and Fuertueventura.
These level areas are home to a flora and fauna that is either very rare
or absent from the Western islands. In particular the birdlife of these
desert plains is rich and attractive.

shrubby desert
p 38

sand dunes
p 41

stony desert
p 40

barranco
p 44

beach
p 33

salt pans
p 50
resort
p 49

LANDSCAPE

29

THE COAST

30

The coast
On Lanzarote, beaches and saltmarshes feature prominently on routes 1, 3 and
6. Tidal pools and rocky coastline are found on route 5 and sites E and H. Marine
life is best enjoyed snorkelling at Playa Papagayo (site C) or the Aquarium. For
seabird watching, route 6 is the best. Also look at sites A, B and L.
On Fuerteventura, beaches, tidal pools and lagunas are an important element
of routes 12 and 13, and sites A, B, E and G. Marine life is best enjoyed at Los
Lobos, but there are also good beaches for snorkelling between Tarajalejo and
Costa Calma. To enjoy the rich sea life of the sub-littoral zone (down 5 to 30
metres deep) you’ll have to book a trip with a glass-bottom boat or submarine
(see page 157).

The beautiful pristine
sandy coast of La
Graciosa (route 6).

The brochures are right about one thing: the most pleasant place to be
on these hot and dry islands is the coast, where the sea breeze is refreshing, and the cool sea water so inviting. Fortunately, the coast is also one
of the most attractive habitats. The landscape is stunning, the birdlife is
rich, Atlantic Lizards are everywhere, and there are plenty of special wildflowers. On top of that, the coastal submarine life is downright superb.

CROSSBILL GUIDES • CANARY ISLANDS - I

THE COAST

Put on your goggles, stick your head in a tidal pool and you are eyeball
to eyeball with a world that literally makes everything you see in the terrestrial habitats seem pale.
There are two types of coastline on both Lanzarote and Fuerteventura:
rocky and sandy.

31

Rocky coastlines

Much of the coastline of Lanzarote and Fuerteventura is rocky. Black
chunks of lava break the oceanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s waves. In a strong gale, this offers a spectacular show of crashing waves and foamy fountains of spume. Caught by
the wind the watery froth is blown out over the cliffs and rocks.
This is the intertidal zone of the rocky shores. The ecological drivers of
this habitat are air and sea water, which play a game of cat and mouse.
During high tides and strong onshore winds, the sea is in charge. All the

rocky crannies, cracks and pools are deluged with water, and salt spray
reaches far inland or stretch high up the cliffs. But at low tide and with
little wind, the sea is driven back and evaporation by air and sun erase the
waterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s influence, leaving only the salt behind.

LANDSCAPE

The skerries of the
lava coast have many
tidal pools where sea
life and waders are at
home.

THE COAST

32

The Whimbrel is one
of the most common
waders on the rocky
coasts of Lanzarote
and Fuerteventura.

As the tide retreats, fish are trapped in tidal pools and small water holes in
the rocks. There are a number of marine species that have well adapted to
these conditions. Some crabs and fish are able to survive this cyclic catch
and release game. Algae and small barnacles (limpets) attach themselves
to the rocks and are able to endure the periods of exposure to sun and air.
For birds, the rocks and tidal pools of the intertidal zone are an excellent place to find food. The major western migration flyway between
tropical Africa and Europe passes the West African coast, which is just
near enough to Lanzarote and Fuerteventura to draw in part of this huge
stream of birds. Pretty much any of the species that travel up and down
this flyway, may turn up on the islands’ coasts and the tidal pools and
rocky shores is where many of them (especially waders) find food and rest
to regain their strength.
A variety of species, most of which you’d associate with flat expanses
of mud, can be found here between the rocks: Common Sandpiper,
Dunlin, Ringed and Grey Plovers, Black-tailed and Bar-tailed Godwits,
Little Egrets… when the sea is calm they all rest on the lava outcrops
near the sea.
As a habitat for breeding birds, the rocky coast is rather poor. Yellowlegged Gull is perhaps the most typical bird of the coast. Berthelot’s Pipit
is another bird that is well at home here, but then again, it is frequent all
over the islands. Big sea bird colonies as you find in the northern Atlantic
are strikingly absent – the rock cliffs are empty. Or they appear to be so,
because Lanzarote and Fuerteventura are hugely important islands for
sea birds. The species that occur here breed very locally in inaccessible
places, mostly on islets off the coast of the main land.

CROSSBILL GUIDES • CANARY ISLANDS - I

THE COAST

Botanically, the rocky coast is a poor habitat. The combination of salt
water spray, extremely low precipitation and porous soils create extreme
conditions in which only few plants survive. Interestingly, the physical
adaptations needed to survive in saline conditions are similar to that of
surviving in drought. Therefore, the succulent growth form, with thick,
water-storing leaves and stems that is found in the original semi-desert
vegetation, reappears on the rocky coast that is influenced by salt spray
(sea water droplets blown in by strong gales).
The flora that has evolved to cope with this situation has some very peculiar species. Especially the Zygophyllum, with its thick and bright
green stems and leaves, is a typical sight. Move a
little further inland, and soon you will encounter a
score of other plants, such as Bassia, Saltwort and
Balsam Spurge (see flora section for more detail).

33

Beaches and salt marsh

The white sandy beaches would be just as attractive
to migrating birds as the rocky shores, if it weren’t
for the fact that they are so busy with tourists. Sunworshippers and (worse!) surfers of all sorts have
left most beaches too disturbed to attract birds.
Hence, the best beaches (from a naturalist’s perspective) are those with large sand banks off the
coast (see route 12). These are still frequently used
by birds, such as Sandwich Tern, Yellow-legged
Gull and a variety of waders.

Zygophyllum (top)
and Traganum (bottom) – the most typical salt tolerant plants
of the rocky and sandy
coasts respectively.

LANDSCAPE

THE COAST

34

A limpet on the
coastal rocks of the
Cuchillos de Vigán
(Fuerteventura).
This is one of the
few places where the
Fuerteventura Limpet
can still be found in
good numbers.

The threatened Fuerteventura Limpet
Limpets (Lapas in Spanish) are an important source of food for birds, fish and
people. Their high commercial value has made them an important marine resource in the islands’ economies. It has even been suggested that overcollection
was instrumental in the extinction of Canary Islands Oystercatcher.
Limpets have been cooked and eaten since the days of the Guanches. They are
still considered to be a delicacy.
Limpets attach themselves to the substrate, usually rocks, where they feed on
algae. A by-word for intractable immobility, it is surprising to realise that, when
submerged, they slowly move by wave-like muscular contractions to graze the
algae. They ‘clamp down’ onto the rock surface with considerable force when
water currents are strong or when it is exposed to sunlight at low tides. Limpets
can grow old. A tagging experiment showed they can live up to 20 years.
There are four species of limpet on the Canary coast. The Fuerteventura Limpet
(Patella candei) is endemic to the Macaronesian region, but has disappeared
from all islands except Fuerteventura, the islet of Los Lobos and the Salvagen
Islands (between the Canaries and Madeira). It is an endangered species, limited to certain parts of the coast. especially the protected Natural Monument
Cuchillos de Vigan and Parque Natural de Jandía.
The species is protected
throughout the islands during
the peak months of reproduction (September to April). In
some areas they cannot be
harvested at all.
In general, the specimens are
widely dispersed, a symptom
of exploitation of these barnacles. Being a gregarious
species, its low density is an
important factor in their gradual disappearance as it limits
their chances of reproduction.

There are white-sandy beaches and black-sandy beaches. The white
sand comes from the Sahara, and is blown here by centuries of Calima
winds (see page 19). Apart from creating a beautiful white beach, they
also produced extensive dune systems, with attractive flora and birdlife
(see page 41).

CROSSBILL GUIDES • CANARY ISLANDS - I

THE COAST

35

Some beaches of
Lanzarote and
Fuerteventura are
covered with the
half-fossilized nests of
Antophora bees that
were common during
the Tertiary era.

The black beaches are of volcanic origin. They are usually small and
squeezed between cliffs. Such beaches themselves are not very attractive
for naturalists, but the nearby cliffs and tidal pools certainly are (see page
85). A black beach in between two rocky headlands is almost without exception a good place to snorkel – that is if the sea currents aren’t so strong
as to make it dangerous.

The pelagic and the underwater world

Fu

er

te

ve

nt

ur

a

La

nz

ar

ot

e

The warm and clear water of the ocean surrounding the islands Lanzarote The three marine
and Fuerteventura supports a rich, varied, and extremely colourful un- reserves of the eastern
derwater life. As tormented and battered by the elements the islands islands.
may seem, as exuberant and lush are their submerged foundations. In the Canary waters, over
550 species of fish have been recorded, including
numerous species of ray fish, parrot fish, sharks,
Banco de Concepción
Marine Protected area
muraines and barracudas. There are colourful sea
snails, sea stars, sea urchins, and various corals.
Also, there are dolphins, whales and sea turtles.
Chinijo
Obviously, all these species do not occur in the
Marine Protected area
ocean at random. The life forms that are present
under the surface vary with substrate (sand or
rock), the physical structure of the seabed (subLos Lobos
marine lava takes on a huge variety of shapes), waMarine Protected area
ter depth, light, temperature and current. Put on
your goggles and swim out from one of the black
beaches and all the fish you see are typical of one
very specific and extreme marine environment,
Africa
one with a constant strong current from the surf.

LANDSCAPE

THE COAST

36

A very well camouflaged octopus.

You’ll notice that there is not much to be seen over sandy soils, but much
more if you (carefully) swim closer to the rocks.
If you move away a little from the coast, the surf is less noticeable and
with good light, temperature and oxygen conditions, this is a superbly
rich zone. The best places are the rocky ones, where a variety of corrals,
algae, sea weeds, shellfish, sea urchins and other species can attach
themselves to the sea floor. This
attracts many fish.
Sandy areas are usually poorer,
due to the continuous movement
of sand in the current, which prevents animals, algae or higher
plants to attach themselves to
the seabed. Such places are like a
submerged desert. The situation
is quite different where extensive
sea grass beds anchor the sand. In
this habitat, marine life abounds
as well.
This difference between sandy
and rocky can be very striking if
you happen to snorkel in a sandy
area with rocky ‘islands’. Swarms of colourful fish swim over these
rocky bits like flies over cow dung – the sandy areas in between appear
to be lifeless. This is the ‘island’ theory all over again (see page 21), but
this time under water.
These fairly shallow plateaux may be as low as 200 metres, and then
drop sharply into the ocean depths. The deep water is called the pelagic
zone and contrasts sharply with the life-rich water near the coast. Larger
fish and schools of fish occur here close to the surface, but life becomes
sparser if you sink further down and the pressure increases, the temperature drops and the light dims.
All the Canary Islands are situated on submarine plateaux, but not
all plateaux are found around islands. In many areas away from the
Canaries and further up to the Selvages, there are shallow parts in the
ocean, and they are like islands of marine biodiversity in the midst of
the ocean. One important example is the Banco de Concepción (see map
on page 35) which is not only rich in plankton and fish, but also an important feeding area for sea birds and sea mammals.

CROSSBILL GUIDES • CANARY ISLANDS - I

THE CANARY DESERT

The Canary desert

37

On Lanzarote, shrubby and stony desert plains and arid fields feature prominently on routes 3, 4 and 6, and site J. Expanses of sand dunes are present on route
2 and above all on 6. Lava fields dominate in parts of route 2 and 5, and site H.
On Fuerteventura, shrubby and stony desert plains and arid fields feature prominently on routes 7, 8, 9 and 13, and sites C, G and J. Expanses of sand dunes are
present on route 7 and 12, and sites A, B and I. Lava fields dominate in parts of
route 7, and sites B and G.

In how many ways can a landscape be empty? Come to
Lanzarote and Fuerteventura
and find out. Drive over the
Lanzarote
Tindaya plains (route 7) on a
warm afternoon and the bright
light, the heat, the silence and
lack of life makes for a mindnumbing experience. If there is
any life at all, it will be obscured
by the heat haze.
But if you return late in the
evening (or early morning)
armed with a knowledge of the
Fuerteventura
right spots gleaned from this
book, you will notice that life
emerges on the unforgiving
desert plains. With a little patience and close observation, youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll find
the Canarian desert to be inhabited by a fascinating flora and fauna,
specialised to cope with a hostile environment by keeping a low profile
during the hot and dry periods and taking advantage of the cooler and
moister moments.
The majority of the islandsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; surface is climatically a desert. However the
Canarian desert is, if you look carefully, strikingly different from that
of the nearby Sahara. In fact it has a unique flora and fauna, partly because this ecosystem developed in isolated conditions (see page 21), and
partly because the ocean air evens out the temperatures and increases
the moistness of the air, even if the amount of rainfall is still very low.
The Canarian desert takes on four different forms: shrubby desert on

LANDSCAPE

Stony desert
Lava fields
or malpaĂ­s
Sandy desert

The main desert plains
of Lanzarote and
Fuerteventura.

FLORA AND FAUNA

Lanzarote and Fuerteventura have a flora and fauna that is poor in total
numbers of species but very rich in endemics – species that are confined
to a very small region of the world. Much of what you find here, you’ll
find nowhere else, except, in some cases, on the other Canary Islands.
This is what makes Lanzarote and Fuerteventura such special places.
A large percentage of endemics is a typical feature of islands (see below
and the evolution chapter on page 21). Lanzarote and Fuerteventura are
both islands in the strict sense of the word, of course, but, since they are
so close to one another, they are biologically speaking one unity. They
are also part of the Canary Island archipelago, which is in turn part of a
collection of archipelagos known as the Macaronesian region (see page
15). Ecologically speaking, they are an island within an island within an
island.
This babuschka effect is also strikingly present within the levels of endemism. Many of the rarer species on Lanzarote and Fuerteventura are
part of the biggest ‘babuschka’ that of the larger Macaronesian region –
which includes all Canary Islands, Madeira, the Cape Verde Islands and
the Azores. The Canary (the bird) fits this category, as does Plain Swift,
and many plants of the moister slopes. On Lanzarote and Fuerteventura
many of these species are relatively scarce, since they are typical of the
milder climates which are not well represented on the eastern Islands.
Both Lanzarote and Fuerteventura share a hot and dry climate, hence
many endemics occur only on these islands, or are shared with the
southern slopes of the western Islands. The odd looking Burchard’s

FLORA AND FAUNA

63

A lone Creamcoloured Courser
in the white sands
of Corralejo,
Fuerteventura. This
is how the flora and
fauna of the eastern
islands manifests
itself - a sudden gem,
hidden in a wide and
seemingly empty
landscape.

INTRODUCTION

64

Caralluma is an example of an east Canary endemic. At the other end
of the scale some species occur only on one island or even a part of one
island. Good examples of those are the Canary Island Stonechat (only on
Fuerteventura) and the Jandía Spurge (only on the Jandía Peninsula of
that same island).
Apart from the endemics, Lanzarote and Fuerteventura share many species with arid North Africa and the Mediterranean. Being close to Africa
and having a similar climate, the African influence is much more prominent than on the other islands, with species like Cream-coloured Courser
and Houbara Bustard two obvious highlights.
And finally, there is the large group of species that have been introduced,
by accident or design, by humans. Large numbers of weeds from the
Mediterranean, some rodents, garden plants and goats are all newcomers
to the islands. Some of them
have had a huge impact on the
Endemics on the Canary islands
natural world of these islands.
Total Of which
native endemic
Higher plants
1932
522
Invertebrate fauna 7152
2835
Vertebrate fauna
110
21
Total (numbers)
9194
3378
Total (%)
100%
37%

Two endemic sealavenders. The Warty
Sea-lavender* (top)
with its typical
zigzag inflorescence
is restricted to
two Macaronesian
archipelagos, while
Felty Sea-lavender*
(bottom) occurs only
on Lanzarote and
Fuerteventura.

Flora
The best botanical routes on Lanzarote are route 4 and to a lesser extent, route
3. There are also interesting wildflowers to be found on the walks H, J and K on
pages 120-122.
On Fuerteventura, the richest wildflower haunt is the Pico de la Zarza (J on page
151), but routes 7, 10, 12 and 13 have interesting wildflowers to offer as well.
Reference to other botanical routes is given on page 159-160.

The flora of the Canary Islands is famous amongst botanists for its variety,
spectacular and oddly shaped plants, many endemic species, and for being
a refuge of a flora of humid, subtropical environments. Such environments
were once widespread in the Tertiary period, but are now confined to the
Atlantic islands.
This huge botanical wealth is not evenly spread across the Canary Islands,
though. Unfortunately, Lanzarote and Fuerteventura are the most poorly
endowed. In fact, the eastern islands are often classified as those
‘where nothing grows’ or as being
mere ‘chunks of Sahara desert
tossed into the Atlantic’. At first
glance, as you drive through the
barren landscape, you may be seduced into believing this, but – fortunately – it is far from the truth.
Lanzarote and Fuerteventura do
indeed lack the lushness of the
western islands, but there is still
a lot to discover. In fact, they each
have more endemic plant species
than the entire UK!
Well-developed semidesert vegetation on
La Graciosa.

Canarian Flora

To understand the seemingly paradoxical status of the flora of the eastern
islands, on the one hand poor and barren and yet, on the other. rich in endemic species, you need to consider the isolation of the Canary archipelago as a whole. As a result of this isolation, the flora abounds in endemic
species that evolved on the spot from only a few ancestral species (see
also evolution chapter on page 21). Hence, only few plant families occur,

CROSSBILL GUIDES • CANARY ISLANDS - I

FLORA﻿

but many of these are present with a high variety of often endemic species. In the case of the Canary Islands, these are the spurges (Euphorbia),
Viper’s-buglosses (Echium), Sow-thistles (Sonchus), and, above all, the
houseleeks, of which entire genera are completely or largely endemic to
the Canaries (e.g. Aeonium, Aichryson, Greenovia, Monanthes).
These groups consist of many species, each adapted to its own specific
environmental condition, one of them being the hot, dry and sunny climate of Fuerteventura and Lanzarote. Isolated from their relatives on
other islands, they have in turn evolved into their own proper species. The
spectacular Decaisne’s Viper’s-bugloss* (Echium decaisnei) has a relatively
wide range, encompassing Lanzarote, Fuerteventura and Gran Canaria,
but others are more restricted: Bonnet’s Viper’sbugloss* (Echium bonnetii) is unique to Fuerteventura;
Lanzarote Viper’s-bugloss* (Echium pitardii) is endemic to that island while Jandía Viper’s-bugloss* (Echium
handiense) is restricted to the Jandía peninsula of
Fuerteventura. Jandía Spurge* (Euphorbia handiense),
the most cactus-like of all the Canarian spurges, has a
similarly resticted range. Etcetera, etcetera.
Being the oldest islands, both Lanzarote and
Fuerteventura have been subject to severe erosion,
and are not as mountainous as the western islands.
Hence they’re not high enough to catch the moisture
from the trade winds that support the laurel and
pine forests of the western islands. The rich flora of
these vegetation zones is absent from Lanzarote and
Fuerteventura except for a handful of relict specimens that cling onto the highest north-facing cliffs
of La Jandía and Famara (an indication that these forests once existed here as well). La Jandía and Famara
are the richest plant haunts of the islands.
Though largely lacking the moisture-demanding flora of the western
islands, Lanzarote and Fuerteventura have their own attractions. They
support a number of plants with affinities to the Mediterranean and arid
regions of Africa that are rare or absent on the other Canary Islands. To
these groups belong an endemic species of Fennel, Yellow Cistanche,
Opophytum (a strange relative of the ice plants) and many others.
Perhaps the most typical desert plant of Lanzarote and Fuerteventura is
Burchard’s Caralluma – an endemic cactus-like plant that is related to
plants that are home to dry areas of northern Africa and the Middle East.

FLORA AND FAUNA

67

The Shrubby Launaea
is the most common
and widespread shrub
of both Lanzarote
and Fuerteventura. It
flowers year-round,
but usually only with a
couple of flower heads
at a time.

F LORA

68

The Pinnate Lavender
is a plant of slopes
with a little shade
and moisture, such as
the cliffs of Famara
(route 4).

Rich plant regions and habitats

Notwithstanding this hopeful introduction, you’ll find, as you drive
through the interior of either of the islands, the landscape pretty much
barren. Except for a couple of hardy plants, most notably the spiny Shrubby
Launaea* (Launaea arborescens), the equally thorny Canary Boxthorn*
(Lycium intricatum) and Mediterranean Saltwort, the land is largely empty
– and even these three, bearing hardly any leaves and never more than a
few shy flowers, look as if they have lost hope of better times. In fact, the
only plant that seems to prosper is the parasitic Alfalfa Dodder, which
frequently smothers the Shrubby Launaeas. The ground-hugging Canary
Aizoon and Common Ice Plant are other frequent species, as is the flimsy,
two metre high stalk of the Tree Tobacco – an introduced species that
does well on disturbed lands.
How different to this image is
the natural climax vegetation!:
a scrubland containing a variety of succulent (thick-stemmed,
water storing) bushes, in which
the aforementioned Shrubby
Launaea and Canary Boxthorn
are common, but grow alongside spurges, viper’s-buglosses,
sow-thistles, houseleeks and
lavenders.
A good way to understand
the flora of Lanzarote and
Fuerteventura is to see it as an attempt to develop from the sorry-looking
Launaea-boxthorn desert into the much richer succulent scrub – an attempt that truly succeeds only in very specific places, namely old lava
fields, upland areas and cliffs, and here and there along roadsides.
In addition to the succulent scrub, there are specific habitats that have a
different type of flora, namely the dunes, saltmarshes coastline, and high,
north-facing cliffs.

The succulent flora

The succulent scrub is a typical Canary vegetation type, found on all the
islands and, in a very rudimentary state, on the nearby African coast.
Because of the many endemic and succulent species, it is radically different from any Mediterranean-type scrub. The places where you’ll find
this vegetation on the eastern islands are on old lava fields (e.g. routes 2,

CROSSBILL GUIDES • CANARY ISLANDS - I

FLORA﻿

5 and 7) and upland areas (route 3, 4, 10 and
11). Old lava fields are too rocky to suit the
needs of agriculture and are full of cracks
in which plants can root. Those same cracks
accumulate just that bit of soil and moisture
that plants need to grow – something that
is lacking in the young lava fields, which is
why these are devoid of plants. The mountains, even though they barely
reach over 600 metres, tend to hold
clouds longer and receive a little
more rain – hence they too support
a richer succulent flora.
Interestingly, also roadsides frequently surprise with some smashing patches of succulent flora.
Some of these obviously have been
planted, but others, especially the
herbs and weeds, clearly established spontaneously.
The succulent trinity consists of Verode
(Kleinia neriifolia), Balsam Spurge (Euphorbia
balsamifera)
and
King-Juba’s
Spurge
(Euphorbia regis-jubae), the latter is often referred to as Blunt-leaved Spurge (Euphorbia
obtusifolia). The Verode looks a bit like a bonsai Dragon Tree, whereas both spurges are
spherical bushes that primarily differ in the
shape of their leaves. In the lava fields, they
are frequently joined by Moon Dock and
Zygophyllum (see page 33).
The star species of the lava fields is the rare, square-stemmed Burchard’s
Caralluma – one of the strangest plants of the eastern islands. It flowers only in winter and early spring after rains. Even then, only one in
hundred-or-so plants will carry the typical wine-red flowers frosted with
white velvet. What’s special about the Caralluma is that it is one of the
very few plants on the Canaries with a true cactus growth form: no leaves
and only a swollen stem that does the job of photosynthesis. On the mainland of Europe, another species of Caralluma grows in the Almería region of Spain – this is the only cactus-like plant of Europe.

FLORA AND FAUNA

69

The three main players
of the succullent scrub:
King Juba’s Spurge
with its long leaves
(top), Balsam Spurge
with its oblong, small
leaves (centre) and
Verode, which looks
like a miniature tree
(bottom).

Since drought and – on Fuerteventura – herbivores are the main challenges
to plants, it is not surprising that the best refuge for them is the steep cliffs.
Especially the higher ones and those facing the north are considerably
less affected by drought and solar radiation. Such cliffs are found in the
mountains of Betancuria and, above all, in La Jandía on Fuerteventura and
Famara on Lanzarote. These are by far the richest plant haunts, harbouring
the bulk of the endemic species found on both islands. Some species are
even endemic to just a small section or a single barranco.
The cliffs pretty much support all the species of succulent scrub, but in
addition hold a score of other wildflowers that are typical of what specialists call the thermophile scrubland. This
vegetation zone is well developed on the western
islands and is found at higher altitudes than the
typical succulent scrub. On the Famara cliffs
and La Jandía, there are even some species that
are typical of the western island laurel forests.
All of these are true relicts of moister times and
they are all extremely rare on the eastern islands.
More than 100 km apart, both the Famara and
the Jandía cliffs are ecological islands in themselves. Hence the plants growing here have
frequently developed into distinct species, but
which are related to those that grow in similar
conditions on the western islands. These are the
groups for which the Canary flora is so famous:
the houseleeks, the marguarites, the viper’s-buglosses and the sow-thistles.
Wildflowers of (north-facing) cliffs
Canary Oak Fern (Polypodium macaronesium), Canary Buttercup (Ranunculus
cortusifolius) MAC, Sycamore-leaved Mallow* (Lavatera acerifolia)L, Famara Reichardia (Reichardia famarae), One-styled Curry Plant (Helichrysum monogynum)L, Felty Sea-lavender* (Limonium puberulum)LF, East Canary Houseleek*
(Aichryson tortuosum)LF, Betancuria Houseleek* (Aichryson berthencourtianum)
F
, Loose-flowered Monanthes (Monanthes laxiflora)CAN, Bolle’s Volutaria (Volutaria bollei)LF, Jandía Viper’s-bugloss (Echium handiense)F, Jandía Hare’s-ear
(Bupleurum handiense)LF, Ifloga (Ifloga spicata), Winter’s Marguarite* (Argyranthemum winteri)F, Barbusano Laurel* (Apollonias barbujana)MAC

FLORA AND FAUNA

71

The spectacular
Decaisne’s Viper’sbugloss is an uncommon plant of wellvegetated barrancos.
It is often planted as
an ornamental shrub.

Increasingly reported
in recent years, the
breeding of Red-billed
Tropicbird on the
Canary Islands was
finally confirmed on
Lanzarote in 2013,
but it remains a very
rare bird.

Birds of beaches and rocky coasts

The coastal fringe of the islands make for poor breeding grounds, but offers a lot of food for migrating birds. Breeding birds include only Yellowlegged gull, Little Ringed and Kentish Plovers, but there are a lot of other
birds to see in autumn, winter and spring.

CROSSBILL GUIDES • CANARY ISLANDS - I

BIRDS

Many wintering and migrating waders show little fear so with patience
they can offer good opportunities for photography. Apart from Kentish,
you will frequently come across Whimbrel, Grey and Ringed Plovers,
Knot, Greenshank, Common and Green Sandpiper. Turnstones live in
small f locks and are perhaps the most common of the waders. They are
even present in summer.
Sanderling is a winter visitor and passage migrant. Little f locks play
catch chase with the foam along the beaches in morning and in the
evening when there not yet too many people about. The beaches and
sand banks off the coast attract
the same birds. The most frequent
tern is the Sandwich Tern which is
found both in winter and during
migration. They are often found in
small numbers, resting on beaches
or patrolling the nearby surf. On
migration, numbers in excess of a
thousand are sometimes recorded.

85

Two common waders
in winter and during
migration: the Grey
Plover (top) frequents
rocky coasts, while
flocks of Sanderling
(bottom) can be
found on quiet sandy
beaches.

FLORA AND FAUNA

BIRDS

86

The silent islands – extinctions on Lanzarote and Fuerteventura
In recent times, three Canarian birds, one full species and two subspecies, have
become extinct. The Canary Black Oystercatcher (Haematopus meadewaldoi)
once roamed the coasts of the eastern islands. It was endemic to Fuerteventura,
Lanzarote and the Chinijo archipelago. It was a resident bird that has never been
recorded outside this area. Only four birds were ever collected, the last one being on
La Graciosa on June 3, 1913. The naturalist Bannerman published a lithograph of
this bird (reproduce here) and wrote about the event:
“For fear of disturbing the bird, in case it should still be about, we crawled the last
fifty yards through the prickly scrubs. Eagerly we scanned the black rocks, which
here run some way out to sea, and suddenly the sharp eyes of our guide spotted the
bird. It was feeding not a hundred yards below where we were lying, running nimbly
over the rocks. As I raised my head, the bird got up, uttering a sharp ‘peepe-peepe,
peepe-peepe’, twice repeated. It was a long shot, but I dared not risk allowing the
Oystercatcher to leave the island, so fired on my knees, and to my intense joy the
bird fell into the sea”.
The locals of La Graciosa reported it until around 1940. In
the mid-1980s a large survey
was held on all the islands of the
Chinijo archipelago, but failed
to find any evidence of the species’ survival. It is unclear what
tipped the bird into extinction.
Probably the population was
naturally small and vulnerable,

Canarian
Oystercatcher
Artwork by
Henrik Gronvold
(1858–1940)

Birds of salt pans and reservoirs

Of the few wetlands that may attract waders, the saltpans on Lanzarote
are the most important. Many of the waders mentioned in the previous
paragraph, also occur on the salt pans, and often in higher densities. In
addition, this is the place to add Black-winged Stilt, Little Egret, Little
Stint and stray rarities to your list.
Whereas salt pans are a very much a Lanzarotean feature, the fresh water reservoirs are typical of Fuerteventura. Many of them are not maintained and silted up, but the main reservoir, that of Los Molinos (route
8) attracts many birds. The fact that it is artificially made, doesn’t deter
the birds. The Coot is the most common breeding bird, with the largest

CROSSBILL GUIDES • CANARY ISLANDS - I

BIRDS

87

and hunting and overharvesting of limpets, the bird’s main food source, pushed
it over the edge.
Another loss for the Chinijo archipelago is the disappearance of the ‘Chinijo
Chat’ a local race of the Canary Island Stonechat, which only lived on the islets
of Alegranza and Montaña Clara. This is puzzling, since no chats have been found
breeding on Lanzarote and La Graciosa which lie between these small islets and
Fuerteventura where the Canary Island Stonechat breeds. This is despite the availability of apparently suitable habitat. Perhaps the eruption of the Timanfaya volcanoes on Lanzarote are responsible for the gap in distribution of this chat. The
Chinijo form became extinct in the early 20th century, perhaps due to the introduction of predators or goats.
Finally, the Lanzarote race of the recently ‘split’ Canary Islands Chiffchaff (exsul)
was unique to the relatively moist Haria valley, were it persisted into the 1980s.
It probably became extinct when the natural habitat of shrubby vegetation disappeared due to a combination of goat herding, agriculture and
increasing aridity. The
Haría area still supports
the only population on
Lanzarote of another
bird of shrubs and trees:
the East Canary race
of the African Blue Tit.
Hopefully, this bird
won’t meet the same
fate as the Chiffchaff.

population in the reservoir of Los Molinos. It is a recent colonizer with
highest numbers in the winter. The Moorhen is also frequent.
More exciting is the Ruddy Shelduck, which started to breed on
Fuerteventura in 1994 and now has a firmly established breeding population. Today it can be found all around the island, even far away from
water. It has also profited from the establishment of golf courses with
their fresh green grass. Marbled Teal has managed to breed in recent
years as well, but hasn’t (yet) managed to fully colonise. It can be seen
in winter and on migration in the ponds and reservoirs. At the height
of summer when there is hardly any surface water left, the breeding
waterfowl leave the island.

FLORA AND FAUNA

Saxicola dacotiae
murielae
Artwork by
Henrik Gronvold
(1858–1940)

BIRDS

88

Most inland reservoirs and the deeper barrancos, dry or not, have a fringe
of tamarisks and other large plants. Both Little Egret and Cattle Egret
breed in such places. The shrubs are the favourite haunts of Sardinian
Warbler and also attract many migratory songbirds. When water levels
drop, the exposed muddy puddles attract migrating Greenshank and
Common Sandpiper. These too, are especially common in winter, at
which time small, temporary pools form in many barrancos.

Birds of agricultural land, oases and gardens

The Spanish Sparrow
is the only sparrow
species of the islands.

Villages are natural oases on both islands. The gardens and small parks,
with their tall vegetation provide shelter to many birds, while the surrounding fields, some of which are irrigated, provide food. Corn, figs,
almonds or vines are cultivated, all on a small scale. This rural idyll is
home to Linnets, Corn Buntings, Spanish Sparrows and Iberian Grey
Shrike. Look carefully among the doves. Collared Dove is very common,
but Turtle Dove occurs in the summer months and Laughing Dove and
African Collared Dove are also present in small numbers. The striking
Hoopoe is widely distributed over the islands, but most common in and
around agricultural lands.
The secretive Quail is also tied to agricultural land. Its numbers fluctuate enormously. In springs following relatively wet winters, the crops are
doing well and Quails are quite common. In other years, they are almost
absent.
Closer to villages with
gardens and groups
of palm trees, you’ll
encounter more members of the finch family.
Linnet, Greenfinch and
Goldfinch may be seen,
although the latter two
are quite rare. This is
also the place to look
for that most famous
of all the Macaronesian
endemic birds: the
Canary. This wild predecessor of the familiar
cage bird is very common on the western

CROSSBILL GUIDES • CANARY ISLANDS - I

BIRDS

islands, but arrived on Fuerteventura
and Lanzarote relatively recently. Its
distribution seems to be restricted to
some of the moister valleys with high
shrubs and some tourist resorts. The
gaps between the leaf stubs of palm
trees are a favourite nesting site of
the Spanish Sparrow, the only sparrow species on the island. They form
noisy groups in most settlements,
although there are also colonies in
uninhabited
places.
Outside the breeding
season they spread out
over the islands looking for food on the
plains.
Villages and Gardens
are favoured by Plain
Swifts, Pallid Swifts,
Collared
Doves,
Sardinian
Warblers
and the Fuerteventura
Blue Tit. The latter
is the rarest of the four Canarian subspecies of the African Blue Tit.
It lives mainly in the valleys of, Betancuria (Fuerteventura) and HarĂ­a
(Lanzarote), but it may be seen in other areas in low numbers. The
Blackcaps you encounter here are mostly overwintering European birds.
The Macaronesian heineken subspecies, which is so common on the
western islands, may only very occasionally nest on the islands.
Finally, in some tourist centres you may come across Laughing Doves,
Monk Parakeets, Red-vented Bulbuls and Sacred Ibis. The Laughing
Dove is sometimes present in large gardens but is not very abundant. It
has recently been established on the islands, but its origin is not entirely
clear. It could have escaped from captivity, but also could have reached
the islands by itself from the nearby African coast. The Monk Parakeet
is certainly an exotic species that escaped from captivity. The only stable population on Fuerteventura is concentrated in the tourist resort of
Morro Jable on the JandĂ­a penisnsula. On Lanzarote it can be found in
some tourist resorts.

FLORA AND FAUNA

89

Two birds of the
rural countryside
of Lanzarote and
Fuerteventura:
Laughing Dove (top)
and Hoopoe (bottom).

REPTILES

90

Reptiles
Eastern Canary Geckos are quite common in rocky areas, and most easily found
by turning stones (they usually cling to the underside of the rock). The Atlantic
Lizard is very common in many places, while the introduced Gran Canaria Giant
Lizard occurs (but appears to be rare) in the Barranco del Torre (site F on page
148). The best chance of finding the rare and secretive skink is on route 11.

There are 14 species of reptiles on the Canary Islands, three of which occur on Lanzarote and Fuerteventura: a gecko, a skink and a lizard. In fact,
all islands have a gecko, a skink and a lizard, each one closely related to
those on the other islands.
The gecko is the Eastern Canary Gecko, endemic to Lanzarote and
Fuerteventura. It is abundant on both islands. It even enters houses and,
with luck, some gecko may move into your holiday apartment and lurk
behind the lamp, waiting for some endemic Canary fly to serve as dinner.
Because of its nocturnal habits, it is rarely seen in the field except when
you actively search for it. If not, the only specimens you are likely to find
is the one in the apartment and the one that clings onto the walls of your
restaurant of choice.

The Atlantic Lizard
is the only native
lizard of the islands.
It is common in all
habitats.
This is a female. The
males are larger and
darker.

CROSSBILL GUIDES • CANARY ISLANDS - I

REPTILES

The Eastern Canary Skink (again endemic to Lanzarote, Fuerteventura
and the islet of Los Lobos) is the largest of the Canary Islands’ skinks. It can
reach 25 cm but, in spite of its length,
it is very hard to find. More than the
other reptiles, it tends to avoid real extreme heat, which is quite hard on the
eastern Canary Islands. Therefore, it
spends much of its life underground
or in rock crevices. It has a scattered
distribution over the three islands. On
Fuerteventura, it only occurs in the humid valleys (relatively speaking) of the
centre (between Vega de Rio Palma and
Betancuria), near Timijiraque and La
Oliva and on Jandía. On Lanzarote it occurs around the valley of Haría.
In contrast, the Atlantic Lizard is widespread, abundant and highly visible on
both islands and the nearby small islets.
It occurs in all habitats from sea level up
to the peaks. The Atlantic Lizard is of
the genus Galiota, which is endemic to
the Canary Islands. Galiotas are bulky
animals, and some species have made it to true giants. The largest species lived on Tenerife and reached almost 1.5 metres. This one is extinct,
but the species currently living on Gran Canaria measures almost a
metre.
This is all quite spectacular, but even more remarkable is the difference
in average size of the various closely related species are. The Atlantic
Lizard, the one found on Lanzarote and Fuerteventura, is the smallest of
them all, the males measuring a bit more than a Sand Lizard.
The Atlantic Lizard is omnivorous, feeding on invertebrates, seeds and
flowers and becomes quite tame in gardens and holiday resorts. They are
active throughout the year. The lizards are a so-called keystone species:
an animal that plays a key role in the original ecosystem. On the one
hand, it was (before the introduction of goats, rabbits and squirrels) the
main herbivore on the islands, and on the other hand, it is staple food for
Kestrels, Buzzards, Ravens and Iberian Grey Shrikes.

FLORA AND FAUNA

91

To find the Eastern
Canary Gecko you
need to – carefully
– turn rocks in lava
fields. In contrast to
lizards, they usually
stick to the underside
of those rocks.

REPTILES

92

Marine turtles

Two species of marine turtle are found in the waters around the Canary
Islands. The most common of these is the Loggerhead Turtle, an oceanic species distributed throughout the world. The Leatherback Turtle,
the largest of all living turtles, is only sporadically seen. None of them
is known to lay eggs on the islands, and so those seen in the Canarian
waters are usually migrating.
Loggerhead Turtles once bred on Fuerteventura though, and there is a
program to re-introduce them. After two centuries of absence, turtle eggs
were brought from the Cape Verde
Islands and put in nests on the beach
in Cofete (Jandía, Fuerteventura).
When the eggs hatched, the baby
turtles were taken to a nursery in
Morro Jable for 2 years. Between
2010 and 2013 700 baby turtles have
been released on Cofete beach, and
it is hoped that they will return in
10-15 years and lay their own eggs
on this beach.

Loggerhead Turtles
are recognisable by
the bill-like beak. It is
not easily seen in the
water, but dead animals sometimes wash
on shore, much to the
delight of the gulls.

CROSSBILL GUIDES • CANARY ISLANDS - I

INSECTS AND OTHER INVERTEBRATES

Insects and other invertebrates

93

The better vegetated areas attract most insects. Good butterfly haunts are found
on route 4 and 6 and site K (page 122) on Lanzarote. On Fuerteventura, route 10
and 11 are most rewarding. The flowery parks of route 10 and site H on page 150
attract butterflies like Monarch. The best dragonfly sites are routes 8, 9 and 11,
all on Fuerteventura. On Lanzarote, the Famara cliffs (route 4), have a number
of other interesting invertebrates.

The list of insects and other invertebrates on the islands is quite short, but
holds a few very interesting species. There is still very little known about
the invertebrates of the islands. As late as 2012, a new species of beetle,
Tarphius jandiensis, was discovered in la Jandía.
Insects and invertebrates are active throughout the year, but spring appears the time that the density and activity is highest.

Butterflies

Only 19 species of
butterfly are found
on Lanzarote and
Fuerteventura. That
isn’t much, but there
are a few you won’t
find anywhere but
here. Early spring
is the best time for
most
butterflies.
Good numbers of
a variety of ‘whites’
inhabit the dry hills.
Most of them are the
familiar Bath Whites
and Small Whites,
but among them
are a number of real treats. One of them is the Fuerteventura Greenstriped White, a small butterfly with distinctly pointed wings and clear
green stripes on its underwings. It is endemic to Fuerteventura where it
flies over fields in the valleys, like those in Betancuria (route 10 and 11).
Another one is the Greenish Black-tip a small, butterfly that is widespread

FLORA AND FAUNA

The Greenish Blacktip is native to Africa
and the east Canary
Islands, with just two
small populations in
mainland Spain.

in the Sahara desert. It looks a bit like a cross between a Bath White and a
Clouded Yellow. Both the Green-striped White and the Greenish Black-tip
are found on stony slopes with sufficient nectar plants.
These sites are also the places to look for the blues, 4 species of which occur on the islands. More colourful species are attracted to flowery patches, such as oases and gardens. Here you may find the resident Canary Red
Admiral which has a wing pattern subtly different from the familiar Red
Admiral (a migrant here). Both are attracted to flowers with lots of nectar.
A few ornamental garden plants in a village are usually enough to attract the tiny Geranium Bronze (an accidental introduction from southern Africa). You need a little more luck to find the impressive orange
Monarch – a large butterfly that flies around in large gardens and parks. It

is the same species as the North America butterfly which is famous for its
long migration to Mexico where it winters in enormous densities in trees.
The population in the Canary Islands doesn’t undertake such impressive
journeys. It is a resident that can be seen throughout the year.
Its slightly smaller relative and look-alike the Plain Tiger is widespread
and common in Africa, but quite rare on the Canary Islands. The small
resident population is reinforced periodically by migrants from the
mainland. Another butterfly that has erratic influxes into Lanzarote and
Fuerteventura is the African Migrant. An aptly named butterfly – if they
arrive on the islands, they usually do so in large numbers. There are accounts of hundreds of them invading the park of Costa Calma (route 12)
overnight.

The small island of La Graciosa (meaning both 'the amusing' and 'the
graceful' in Spanish) has only 700 inhabitants, divided over two small
villages. The island measures 8 km in length and 4 km in width, and
about 90% of is surface is covered with a (near)-natural vegetation
of semi-desert and dunes. There is no place quite like it in the entire
Canary Islands – at least no place you can visit, as the other islands
of the Chinijo Archipelago are uninhabited and cannot be visited. All
these islands, including La Graciosa and the sea between them, are part
of a protected nature park.

Starting point Orzola harbour
There are two ferry companies (Lineas
Romero and Biosfera Express) with departures every 1 to 2 hours.

6
5

4

L
0

G

a

r

a

c

i

o

s

3

1
1

caleta
del sebo

2

a

4 km

2
orzola

The crossing over the 2 km wide
strait between Lanzarote and La
Graciosa takes about 25 minutes and passes underneath the dramatic Famara cliffs.
Birdwachting can be very rewarding, with
Osprey, Barbary Falcon and Little Egret
year-round and Cory's Shearwater (which
breeds in the cliffs) from late February to

CROSSBILL GUIDES • CANARY ISLANDS - I

route 6: la graciosa

117

late October. Summer and autumn
are the best, as you have a chance of
seeing Bulwer's Petrel and even Redbilled Tropicbird (the latter SeptemberOctober). Common Dolphin is also
sometimes seen.

2

You can rent your bicycle in front
of the dock of Caleta de Sebo (the
village of La Graciosa) where you arrive. Follow the cycling route given on
the map. Note that the track can be quite bumpy in places. Alternatively,
you can walk it (beautiful, but very long) or by 4 wheel drive (expensive,
with driver).
Before cycling off, check the little harbour for waders, and the village for
Hoopoes and Iberian Grey Shrikes. Of course, keep your eyes open all
along the route, but especially at the following points.

3

The main junction lies on the ridge between the two main craters.
There are a few allotments here with cactuses, which seem to attract
birds. Look out for Hoopoe, Iberian Grey Shrike, Spectacled Warbler, Stone
Curlew and Cattle Egret. We found the Greenish Black-tip here and elsewhere on the island.

4

Continue in the direction Las Conchas. You now pass through a
magnificent, empty plain of original semi-desert vegetation. Some
Houbara Bustards breed here (or elsewhere in suitable habitat on the island), but chances of seeing them are rather slim.

PRACTICAL PART

The boat rounds the
northern cape of the
Famara cliffs (top).
In season (April â&#x20AC;&#x201C;
October) it is a superb
trip to spot sea birds.
The most common species here is the Cory's
Shearwater (bottom).

route 6: la graciosa

118

The dunes of La
Graciosa, with Canary
Sea Fennel in the
foreground.

5

Follow the track to the pristine Las Conchas beach, which lies at one
third of circuit. From the beach you have splendid views of the uninhabited islands of Montaña Clara and La Alegranza. On these islands,
a large proportion of the rare sea birds of the Canaries breed, but since
they only come ashore at night, they are not frequently seen. The dunes
here are attractive from a botanical point of view: Traganum, Canary Sea
Fennel, Sea Spurge, Alfalfa Dodder, parasitising on Shrubby Launaea,
and Warty Sea-lavender are just a few plants you'll find here. Atlantic
Lizards (often rather big specimens here) are very common.
Continue the circuit crossing another ridge between two craters. Beyond
it, the landscape becomes more sandy.

6

The track reaches the sea again, at another beach. The scatter of
small, rounded stones here turns out to be, on closer inspection, the
scattered, half fossilized nests of Anthophora bees, a group of hairy bees
that still occurs on the islands (see page 35). The strange Traganum bush
is very common.
Continue the circuit back to the village.

Additional remarks You'll enjoy a visit to La Graciosa even more when
you spend a night here, so you'll have an evening and morning to visit the
plains in the north. The solitude is splendid then.

CROSSBILL GUIDES • CANARY ISLANDS - I

ADDITIONAL SITES ON LANZAROTE AND THE CHINIJO ARCHIPELAGO

Additional sites on Lanzarote and the
Chinijo Archipelago
See map on page 99 for the location of the following sites.

A – The Lanzarote – Fuerteventura ferry

Keep your eyes open at this 20 minutes crossing. Cory´s
Shearwater (March to October) can get very close to
the boat and any of the local seabirds can be expected.
Marine mammals such as Short-finned Pilot Whale, Common and
Bottlenose Dolphins have been observed. Flying fish are frequently
seen from this ferry as they are present in any of the waters around
the islands.

B – Playa Blanca

The tourist complex of Playa Blanca at the southern end of
Lanzarote is a popular base for birdwatchers with a family. It
is close to the Janubio saltpans (route 1) and there is some good
birding within walking distance. The ornamental vegetation of the village can be good for migrant birds and Spanish Sparrow is common.
The old lighthouse of Punta Pechiguera is a suitable site to do some
seawatching. Early morning and late evening are the best time of the
day. To the north and east there are desert plains with a rich bird life,
but they are difficult to visit.

C – Playa Papagayo

This famous and beautiful beach is situated in a natural reserve.
This is perhaps the best place on Lanzarote to do some snorkelling and discover the astonishing sea life. The entrance fee is 3
euro for a car. There are also taxi-boats from Playa Blanca.

D – El Golfo

El Golfo in Timanfaya National Park is a scenic oddity. It
is a half-submerged volcano, a semicircular amphitheatre
open to the ocean. When the hot lava hit the sea water
during a massive eruption, no ash could be formed, and unstable rock
appeared. The porous lava and erosion have created bizarre formations
with a multitude of red and russet colours. The lake has an intense
green colour, caused by green algae, and communicates with the ocean
by a subterranean tunnel. El Golfo is signposted in Yaiza.

PRACTICAL PART

119

ADDITIONAL SITES ON LANZAROTE AND THE CHINIJO ARCHIPELAGO

E – Arrecife Harbour

120

The rocky shore and the offshore
reefs near the largest town of
Lanzarote attract a variety of waders.
Check the shores, the tidal lagoon called
Charco de San Gines and the harbour.
Ringed and Grey Plovers, Whimbrel,
Greenshank, Common Sandpiper, Little
Egret and Sandwich Tern are some of the
common species and during migration
rarities occur.

F – Costa Teguise Golf Club

A major area of irrigated grassland
with 3,500 palm trees is attractive
for resident and migrant birds.
Barbary Partridge lives on and around the
golf course and this is the only place on
Lanzarote where you have a good chance
of seeing it. The entrance is situated on the
LZ-34, just 3 km from Costa Teguise. Entry
is restricted, but you can always walk along
the fence.
The Famara cliffs.

G – Lanzarote Aquarium

Lanzarote Aquarium has a large collection of fish from Canary
Islands waters, such as the triggerfish, golden fishes and fulas.
There are six so-called touching-pools where both children and
adults can touch and enjoy animals such as sea cucumbers, starfish, sea
urchins, coastal-zone fish and small crabs. The aquarium is located in
Centro Comercial el Trébol, in Costa Teguise. It opens from 12 to 6 pm.
Prices (in 2013) are € 12,50 for adults and € 8,00 for
charco del palo
children. www.aquariumlanzarote.com

guatiza

Caralluma

los cocoteros

saltpans

H – Salt Pans and lava fields of Cocoteras

At the small saltpans, migrating
waders may show up such as Little
Stint, Curlew Sandpiper, Dunlin
and Black-winged Stilt. The lava fields offer a fine
walk and are a main site for the endemic Caralluma

CROSSBILL GUIDES • CANARY ISLANDS - I

ADDITIONAL SITES ON LANZAROTE AND THE CHINIJO ARCHIPELAGO

which flowers in winter. It grows on undisurbed rocky lava (not on the cultivated fields). Look for a squat square stemmed small cactus.
The salt pans are located just south of the tiny village of Cocoteras and east
of Guatiza. The lava fields are to the north. We propose the route on the map.

121

I – Presa de Mala

The only freshwater reservoir on Lanzarote has been built near the
village called Mala in the northeast. When wet, the spot attracts
waders and herons. The track over leads through a hilly arid landscape which is good for Trumpeter Finch, Spectacled Warbler and Raven.
It is reached by the LZ-1, turn to the village of
Mala, and turn west here onto de Calle Pleamar,
which crosses the LZ-1 and continues as dirt track
to the dam, which lies 2 km from the bridge.

J – Walking along the Famara cliffs

The trail that runs all along the base of the
Famara cliffs to the abandoned salt pans is
a must for hiking aficionados. The superb
landscape and, as you proceed, the quietude, is
wonderful. Botanically, this is an interesting route
(with Schulz's Gold-coin the star species), while
the typical Famara cliff birds (Cory's Shearwater,
Raven, Barbary Falcon and Osprey) are likely to
cross overhead or through the strait. The walk to
the saltpans and back is too long for a single day,
but even going half way makes for a splendid day.
Note that although some
people stay the night
somewhere along the
way, you are in a natural
park where camping is
forbidden.
The track starts behind
the Urbaniza-ción Famara
(see map on page 106). At
the start, the track splits
in an upper and lower section, but they reunite further ahead.

PRACTICAL PART

The strange Caralluma
is the star species of
the Cocoteras lava
fields. The fingerlike stems blend in
perfectly in the chaotic
lava fields and are not
easy to find (left).

ADDITIONAL SITES ON LANZAROTE AND THE CHINIJO ARCHIPELAGO

122

K – Barranco Teneguime

Another great walking route is the track up the wide Barranco
Teneguime. The landscape is beautiful here, and it is a good place
to find some interesting plants (e.g. Campylanthus), butterflies
and other insects (e.g. Greenish Black-tip) and Eastern Canary Gecko.
To arrive at the barranco, go to Guatiza. From the centre, take the Calle
Álamo that crosses the bridge over the LZ-1. Immediately across it, turn
right onto a track. After 500 metres, the barranco starts on your left.

L – Seabird and whale watching on the Banco de la Concepción

Some 71 km out in the Atlantic lie the shallows of the Banco de
la Concepción, an outstanding area in marine diversity. Here the
ocean is only 170 to 200 metres deep and offers an attractive environment for a multitude of whales, dolphins, turtles, sharks, tuna and
other fish. Lots of sea birds, including those that breed on the islands of
the Chinijo archipelago, come here to feed. The importance of this area for
seabirds, particularly rarities, has only recently been appreciated. Regular
attractions include Wilson´s, Madeiran and White-faced Storm-petrels,
Bulwer's Petrel and Macaronesian Shearwater plus a mouth watering selection of rarities like Red-billed Tropicbird, Fea’s/Zino’s and Swinhoe’s
Storm-petrels, Black-bellied Storm-petrel and South Polar Skua (one of
five potential skuas present!) some of which may yet prove to be annual
in small numbers. Up to nine species of cetaceans have also been seen.
Since 2010 two-day pelagic tours to the area have been organized in summer by Lanzarote pelagics whose website (lanzarotepelagics.blogspot.
co.uk) is a valuable resource. However, at the time of writing, the company seems dormant, but it’s worth checking for any future trips.

Wilson's Storm-petrel
is a summer visitor to
the Banco de
Concepción.

CROSSBILL GUIDES • CANARY ISLANDS - I

FUERTEVENTURA

Fuerteventura

corralejo

a

b
Although Fuerteventura
el cotillo
is, like Lanzarote, a dry
7
la oliva
and fairly low island,
it has a quite different
FV-2
8
character. If Lanzarote
is the volcano island,
Fuerteventura is the de10 la antigua puerto
sert island. There are
c
del
9 rosario
11 betancuria
fewer lava fields and
d
pájara
volcanoes, but there are
e
more desert plains. The
tuineje
f
g
sombre slaty-black of
Lanzarote is replaced by
h
gran tarajal
terracotta soils.
i
Fuerteventura is twice
12 costa calma
the size of Lanzarote,
13 j
and the second largest
0
10
20 km
of the Canary Islands
morro jable
(only Tenerife is larger). Fuerteventura has
fewer inhabitants than Lanzarote, though, and mass tourism is largely
confined to coastal sites like Corralejo, Caleta de Fuste, Gran Tarajal,
Cotillo, Costa Calma and Morro Jable. Further inland, the villages of
La Oliva, Antigua, Tuineje and Betancuria have retained their original
character.
Fuerteventura has a mixture of rocky hills and extensive plains.
The three main ranges are Bentancuria in the west (route 10 and 11),
Cuchillos de Vigán in the east (page 149) and the highest range in the
south: La Jandía, with its spectacular cliffs (route 12 and 13). Life concentrates in the valleys and barrancos (routes 9, 10, 11), but many of the
steppe birds are found on the plains.
These desert plains run down from the north shore near Corralejo
south to La Oliva (route 7) and than through the eastern and western
mountain ranges further south to Gran Tarajal. These plains harbour
the bulk of Fuerteventura’s desert birds (route 1 and 7). Near Corralejo
(site B on page 147) and on the isthmus connecting La Jandía with the
rest of Fuerteventura (route 12 and site I on page 150), are extensive areas
of sand dunes, which again support a range of wildflowers and birds.

PRACTICAL PART

123

ROUTE 7: TINDAYA PLAINS AND LA OLIVA

Route 7: Tindaya plains and La Oliva

124

6 HOURS - FULL DAY
60 KM
Best place for steppe birds on Fuerteventura
Superb plains with red soils, dark lava and white sands

!

Be careful with tracks through barrancos – water may wreck the track. If
you don't trust it , turn around.

This car route is a combination of wide and windy stony plains, small scale
agricultural fields and an expanse of white sand dunes with the nearby shore
and sea. The plains are about the best on Fuerteventura for steppe birds,
while the fields and gardens of La Oliva are excellent for birds of agricultural
land. Indeed, birds are the great draw of this route, but the stunning open
landscape, the variety of habitats and
lighthouse
the ample opportunities to step out and
5
explore, make it an attraction for every
6
kind of naturalist. Keep in mind though,
that to see the steppe birds, you need to
el roque
el cotillo
explore the good sites at dusk or dawn.
7
The tracks are generally good to navilajares
gate but a little rough in some places.
4

8

9

map on page 128

3
2

11

10

la oliva

1

FV-10
tindaya

0

2

4 km

Starting point The village of Tindaya

on the FV-10.
Cross the village and follow the potholed road to the coast that departs
from the village's west end.

1

Drive slowly and stop on high
vantage points to scan for steppe
birds. Houbara Bustard is frequently

CROSSBILL GUIDES • CANARY ISLANDS - I

ROUTE 7: TINDAYA PLAINS AND LA OLIVA

125

seen here, while Cream-coloured Courser, Stone-Curlew and Black-bellied
Sandgrouse are present as well. The most common bird here is Lesser
Short-toed Lark and, of course, Berthelot's Pipit. In the shrubby places,
look for Spectacled Warbler, while small flocks of Trumpeter Finch, and,
more rarely, Linnet, roam the plains. We urge you to stay on the track in
order not to disturb the fragile bird life. It is best to stay in the car, and
use it as a hide.
Return and follow the (only) track to the left (north).

2
3

The track passes more excellent semi-desert with all the aforementioned birds possible.

The track enters a barranco. Turn left and follow the gully until the
track reappears on the other side. Note that this passage may have
some tricky spots. If you can't cross, retrace your steps to Tindaya and
drive around to pick up the route from Cotillo on the other side. The barranco itself is a pretty place, lined with large Canary Tamarisks.

PRACTICAL PART

The Tindaya plains
support some of the
highest numbers of
Houbara and Creamcoloured Courser on
Fuerteventura.

!

Fragile birdlife,
don't walk away
from the car.

ROUTE 7: TINDAYA PLAINS AND LA OLIVA

126

4

The steppe plain towards El Cotillo is again excellent habitat for all
steppe birds.

Cross Cotillo, a rather unattractive modern settlement, following the direction of the lighthouse (Faro de Tostón).

5

The lighthouse area offers good views over the coastline and the
ocean. Seawatching with a telescope may produce high numbers of
Cory´s Shearwater, especially in the evenings from March to September.
Explore the area around the lighthouse on foot. The many tidal pools on
the shore support a good variety of wintering and migrating waders, and
usually hold some Little Egrets. Warty Sea-lavender* (Limonium pappillatum) grows close to the road.

6

The dunes just before the lighthouse are worth exploring as well.
Frankenia, Canary Sea Fennel and Narrow-leaved Restharrow*
(Ononis angustissima) are common wildflowers, while Barbary Partridge,
Hoopoe, Stone Curlew, Trumpeter Finch and even Houbara may turn up.
Return to Cotillo and take the FV-10 to La Oliva. In
the village of El Roque, exactly at the entrance sign,
turn a sharp right towards a traditional windmill.
Beyond the mill, turn left (and stay left at the next
Y-crossing). Cross the plains, and stop at a barranco, just before a sharp right turn.

Female (top) and
male (bottom) of the
Canary Island Stonechat. Look for them
on point 7, 9 and 10 of
this route.

CROSSBILL GUIDES • CANARY ISLANDS - I

ROUTE 7: TINDAYA PLAINS AND LA OLIVA

7

Follow the barranco uphill on foot. Keep an eye out for Egyptian
Vulture and Buzzard. The barranco offers chances of finding
Spectacled Warbler, Canary Island Stonechat and Trumpeter Finch.
Barbary Ground Squirrel is often seen, while Atlantic Lizard is common.

127

Continue past the area de descanso and go down the slope until you reach
a wide barranco in a sandy landscape.

8

In front of you a large area of sandy semi-desert is fenced off. This is
an enclosure for scientific purposes – to investigate how the vegetation recovers when goats are excluded. Scan the plains for steppe birds and
stroll around in the section that is not fenced. Canary Rockrose, Narrowleaved Restharrow and the autumn-flowering Broad-leaved Squill* (Scilla
latifolia) occur here.
Turn left and drive down the broad sandy barranco. Once on the road,
turn right, towards La Oliva. You soon drive through a lava field. Over the
hill, just beyond a white building, turn left onto a section the old road.
Park here.

9

Explore the malpaís. Verode and King Juba’s Spurge are the common
succulent plants, while the rare Caralluma has been found here too
(although it is easier to find at the next stop). Barbary Ground Squirrel,
Trumpeter Finch and Barbary Partridge are all present in the lava field, while
underneath suitable flat stones, Eastern Canary Gecko is frequently found.

Displaying Houbara
near Tindaya. Note
that these birds of
empty desert plains are
under pressure and are
very easily disturbed.
Stay in the vehicle to
observe them.

PRACTICAL PART

ROUTE 7: TINDAYA PLAINS AND LA OLIVA

128

Continue and at the entrance sign of La Oliva, turn a sharp right.

10

This track leads again through a good area for Houbara Bustard.
The best time is in the afternoon, when small groups gather.
Cream-coloured Courser may also be seen.
Return to the road and turn right. Subsequently turn left to Casa de los
Coroneles. You now enter the old centre of La Oliva. Continue and after
km 3.5, turn left onto the small Calle de los Altos. Drive up and park
where the tarmac ends. Continue on foot, each time taking the left.

11

This is perhaps the richest population of the otherwise very rare
Caralluma. Search carefully – it is still easy to miss between the
coarse lava rocks. It flowers in winter, but even then, only a few plants will
produce flowers.

Additional remarks

Caralluma

calle de los altos
malpaís
villaverde

la oliva

The fields towards the south-east of La Oliva
are home to the very rare (in Canary Island
terms) Goldfinch, Greenfinch, Corn Bunting
and, in some years, Quail. All these birds are
very hard to find, though, so decide for yourself whether you want to spend your time on
Fuerteventura in search of these species.

View of the crater and
Malpaís of La Oliva.
Not only the perfect
place to find succulent
plants like Caralluma,
but also for Barbary
Ground Squirrel,
Geckos and Trumpeter
Finches.

Los Molinos reservoir is famous among birdwatchers. It is the only permanent freshwater body of any size on Fuerteventura, hence a major
draw for birds, such as ducks, herons and waders. Moreover, it is set
in a stony plateau where all of Fuerteventura's steppe bird species are
present and frequently show well.
The trip to Los Molinos is clearly a route for birdwatchers, but since all
the action is concentrated on a small area, with some interesting walking options nearby and an open air museum, it is good too for naturalists with wider interests.

Starting point Tefia
puertito

Drive south and at the first
junction turn right to las
Parcelas.

6

3

goat farm

1

Just before this junction
lies the open air Ecomuseo
La Alcogida. La Alcogida is an
abandoned settlement. Houses
and windmill have been beautifully restored and now offer
an insight into the former rural life of Fuerteventura.

las parcelas
tefia

farm

2
4
0

1

1
5

2 km Los Molinos
reservoir

Follow the road to Las Parcelas. Between km 2 and 3, turn left onto a track
towards a goat farm.

PRACTICAL PART

FV-207

156

Planning your trip
Visiting the other islands

If you have plenty of time, it is tempting to visit one or more of the other Canary
Islands. These are quite different in character, having much higher mountains, and
being partially covered in a verdant vegetation of laurel forest. A visit to Tenerife is
perhaps the most interesting, since it is here that you will find the highest diversity
in habitats and species, including many endemics.
You have two options if you want to visit the other Canary Islands: plane or ferry.
Island-hopping by plane: all Canary Islands are interconnected by air by the company Binter Canarias. Most of these flights are daily, or even several times a day.
For more information, check www.bintercanarias.com.
Taking the ferry: Two companies maintain regular ferry services to other islands:
Fred Olson and Naviera Armas. Travelling by boat has the advantage of being less
environmentally unfriendly, offering good chances to watch sea birds and dolphins
from the boat, and allowing you to bring along your hire car. The downsides are
that it is much slower, and that not all islands are connected directly by ferry. A
good website to start your search for a ferry connection is www.directferries.co.uk
and check the destination guide. You can book your tickets directly at the port, or
ask your hotel to arrange it for you. Be at least half an hour early and bring your
passport with you.
Ferry Crossings
Lanzarote (Playa Blanca) – Fuerteventura (Corralejo): 6 x day – 30 minutes
Lazarote (Arracife) – Gran Canaria (Las Palmas): 5 x week, 7 1/4 hours
Lazarote (Arracife) – Tenerife (Santa Cruz): 5 x week, 9 hours
Lazarote (Arracife) – La Palma (Santa Cruz): 1 x week, 31 hours
Fuerteventura (Puerto Rosario) – Gran Canaria (Las Palmas): 5 x week 7 1/2 hours / 3 hours
Fuerteventura (Moro Jable) – Gran Canaria (Las Palmas): 5 x week 3 hours/ 1 1/2 hours
Fuerteventura (Puerto Rosario) – Tenerife (Santa Cruz): 5 x week 11 ½ hours
Fuerteventura (Moro Jable) – Tenerife (Santa Cruz): 1 x week 6 1/2 hours

Lanzarote or Fuerteventura?

As each visitor will have a different balance of priorities, it is difficult to give absolute
advice as to which island makes the best base. Ideally, try to stay a couple of days on
Lanzarote and a couple of days on Fuerteventura. If this is not possible, make a day
trip to the other islands. Here is a quick comparison guide.

When taking the first boat from Playa Blanco, you can opt for route 8 or (parts
of) route 7. Both routes should make it possible for you to see desert birds, including a chance of Trumpeter Finch, Cream-coloured Courser and Black-bellied
Sandgrouse, which are hard to find on Lanzarote. Route 8 offers you a good opportunity of seeing the Fuerteventura endemic Canary Island Stonechat, some waders
and wildfowl, including Ruddy Shelduck. The barranco of point 4 of route 7 also
offers chances on seeing the chat, plus the Barbary Ground Squirrel.

Visiting Lanzarote from Fuerteventura as a day trip

When taking the first boat from Corralejo, routes 1 and 2 are within easy reach.
This offers you the opportunity to visit one of Lanzaroteâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s highlights: the young
lava fields and impressive craters of Timanaya National Park. A short stop at the
salt works of Janubio (route 2) is additionally of interest for the waders.

When to go

Lanzarote and Fuerteventura are of interest throughout the year, though with
some clear seasonal differences.
Breeding birds are mostly sedentary although more active during the breeding period, which is from February to April. The best months for migration are February
to March and October to November. By the end of the summer ducks and most
waders have left Fuerteventura because reservoirs have dried out. July to October
is the better period for sea birds and for breeding Eleonoraâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Falcons (see box on
page 84).

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158

For wildflowers, winter and spring (December to May) are the best although, even
in summer, you’ll find some flowers in bloom. Winter is the ‘rainy season’, which
means that there are a couple of short spells of rain between long periods of excellent
weather. These brief showers do, however, trigger a modest bloom of wildflowers.
Reptiles can be found throughout the year, but are less active in winter.
The period between January and May is best for the few dragonflies and butterflies
that occur on the islands.

Additional information
Recommended reading

Many, but not all, field guides that cover Europe, also include the Canary Islands.
Besides these general guidebooks, we recommend the following books and
websites:
Flora It is remarkable that, given the superb flora of the Canary Islands and the
large numbers of tourists, there are very few field guides to the flora of the Canary
Islands. Bramwell’s Wildflowers of the Canary Islands (ISBN 847207129) is highly
recommended but unfortunately out of print. Hence we also recommend, even
to English readers, the German Kosmos Kanarenflora (Schönfeld & Schönfelder),
which has excellent photographs and information on distribution per island. The
Exkurionsflora für die Kanarischen Inseln (Hohenester & Welss) is the only guide
that covers the entire Canary Island flora, but is unfortunately out of print.
Joël Lodé (2010): Succulent Plants of the Canary Islands is an excellent book with
all texts in Spanish, English, German and French. Unfortunately it only covers the succulent plants, which forms only a small portion of the entire flora.
Haroun Tabraue, Gil-Rodríguez, Wildpret de la Torre and Prud’Homme van
Reine (Author): Marine Plants of the Canary Islands is a guide to the sea weeds
and sea grasses of the islands.
A brilliant website about the flora of Lanzarote is is www.floralanzarote.com. It
also has a section on plant walks under the button itinerarios. Take a look as well
at www.floradecanarias.com.
Birds and bird finding guides Several field guides go into detail on identification and
distribution of Canary Islands birds, e.g. Field Guide to the Birds of Macaronesia
by Eduardo Garcia del Rey (2011) and Field Guide to the Birds of the Atlantic Islands
by Tony Clark, Chris Orgill and Tony Disley (2006). Published in 2013 is the Rare
Birds of the Canary Islands by Eduardo Garcia del Rey and Fransisco Javier García
Vargas (order at for example www.nhbs.com or www.lynxeds.com).
As the Canary Islands have become a popular birdwatching destination, several
Where-to-Watch-Birds books have been published, mostly in English or Spanish/

CROSSBILL GUIDES • CANARY ISLANDS - I

English. Some titles are A Birdwatchers’ Guide to the Canary Islands, by Tony
Clark and Dave Collins (1996), and Finding Birds in the Canary Islands by Dave
Gosney (2009).
A number of interesting websites on Canarian birds have been launched by
fanatic local birdwatchers, some show many excellent photos and others lots
of information, consult www.blog.birdingcanarias.com, www.birdinglanzarote.
blogspot.com.es. Specialised on rarities is www.avescanarias.blogspot.com.es.
Maps Detailed maps of the islands, which include unpaved tracks, can easily be
obtained at the airports and bookshops of Lanzarote and Fuerteventura.
Biology and Evolution If you want to understand more about evolution, island
ecology and extinctions on islands (including but not exclusively the Canaries),
we can recommend two books which read like a novel: David Quammen The
song of the Dodo and Demons in Eden from Jonathan Silvertown. In the Song of
the Dodo the author travels all over the world to understand the role of biological
isolation and its consequences for nature conservation. Likewise, in Demons in
Eden the author travels the globe to understand how it is possible that an evolutionary struggle for the best adaptation leads to a high instead of a low species
diversity. In both cases, volcanic islands like the Canaries play a crucial role in
understanding these processes.
History The web mdc.ulpgc.es with hundreds of photos shows a digital memory of
former times. The Humboldt Project has an open digital library – humboldt.mpi
wg-berlin.mpg.de – on scientific voyages to the Canary Islands in the 18th and
19th centuries.

Observation tips
Hiking on Fuerteventura and Lanzarote

The monotonous landscape of the deserts and lava fields do not make Lanzarote
and Fuerteventura hiking paradises. Nonetheless, there are some beautiful walks set out in the area of La Jandía (site J on page 151) and some others in
the mountains of Betancuria (routes 10 and 11). In Lanzarote, most hikes are
in the north and they are truly beautiful (see sites J and K on pages 121-122),
and check www.floralanzarote.com and click itinerarios. The beauty of taking walks, other than just the sake of walking itself, is that you will find wildflowers, insects and reptiles more easily. On foot, you’ll use all your senses
– sound, sight, smell, touch, which is the best way to experience the islands.
Note that for safe hiking, you should bring plenty of water and protection against
the sun (including sun glasses). The sun and heat can be relentless, and on most
trails, there is no shade.

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160

Tracking down desert birds

Searching for birds in the desert takes time and patience as, especially on
Fuerteventura, they are thinly spread. Because they are ground nesters, with little
defence against predators, most species rely heavily on their camouflage. Therefore,
take your time to scan the landscape carefully; it is usually the motion that gives
them away. A telescope comes in handy as chances are that the birds are far away.
While driving the tracks, keep your windows rolled down, as it is the songs and
calls that tell you there is something around. Goat pens often attract the seed eating birds which are attracted to the seed spill from the hay that is fed to the goats.
Even more than in other habitats, birds of deserts are most active at dusk and dawn.
At this time, the light is much better too, and there is no heat haze, making it easier
to pick out the birds on the ground. Finally, the desert birds are very sensitive, and
will press themselves to the ground if someone approaches. Hence, stay on tracks
and use your car as a hide and drive, very slowly, across the plains.

Tips for sea birdwatching

Lanzarote and Fuerteventura support a large number of sea birds, but they are
tricky to see. The best way is by taking a specialised boat trip out to the waters
where they frequently feed (see L on page 122). Unfortunately, these trips are very
infrequent and relatively costly. Ferry crossings are the next best option. Watching
from the coast is the simplest and cheapest option, but birds are likely to be fewer
and more distant, making a telescope essential.
There are a couple of good sites for sea birdwatching from land: Tostón (on route
7), La Graciosa (route 6) and Playa Blanca (site B on page 119). The ferries between
the islands (see A on page 119) and the ferry to La Graciosa (route 6) are even better.
Summer and autumn are the best months (see box on page 84). When going sea
watching, consider the following tips:
Timing: The first and last couple of hours of daylight are the best. Both migration
(if any) and movement from the nests to the open sea takes place at this time of day.
Onshore winds often push birds closer to land.
Gear: Sea watching without telescope is close to pointless. The more pelagic sea
birds (petrels & shearwaters) will be further out over the ocean.
Position: At sea level birds are alternately hidden in wave troughs or visible only
as silhouettes against the sky so watch from a vantage point roughly between 10
and 20 metres above sea level. Make sure you have the sun behind you for the best
possible light conditions (hence some sites will be ‘morning sites’ and other ones
‘evening sites’).

CROSSBILL GUIDES • CANARY ISLANDS - I

Exploring the underwater world

One of the great ecological treasures of the Canaries lies under water. There is
just one problem with the exuberant, colourful submarine world: it is so difficult
to explore. Unless you are a trained and skilled scuba diver, you have to make do
with a sub-optimal approach. This can still be enormously rewarding, though. Not
including professional scuba diving as an option, there are four ways to get to know
the marine world.
Snorkelling in sheltered bays: You can snorkel in many places, especially on the
east coasts. Look for sheltered bays with a sandy or gravelly beach (easy to get in)
and some rocky areas on the side (this is where most of the fish are). Be aware
though, that in some seemingly good bays, the current is too strong to swim.
If this is the case, authorities will make this known with signs or red flags.
Very good places to snorkel are listed as site C on page 119 for Lanzarote, and site
A on page 146 for Fuerteventura. The bays between Tarajalejo and Costa Calma
on Fuerteventura are also good.
Visiting the Lanzarote Aquarium: This is where you get eye to gill with some of the
more spectacular marine animals of the islands. Downside is that it is in a very
touristy setting (see page 120).
Taking a trip on a glass bottom boat: Book a seat on a glass bottom boat to La
Graciosa (route 6) or to Isla de Lobos off Fuerteventura (site A on page 146; also
easy to visit from Lanzarote). On this trip you see the underwater life literally
underneath your feet. On the Isla de Lobos you can go snorkelling and enjoy a
walk before returning on the glass bottom boat. Check the kiosks alongside the
pedestrian zone of the Marina at Corralejo, or www.fuerteventura.com/lobos/.
Diving in a submarine: Finally, you can take a submarine catamaran, which al
lows you to explore the underwater world. Submarine Safaris operates from
Puerto Calero on Lanzarote (www.submarinesafaris.com; 00 34 928 512898),
while Subcat Fuerteventura does so from Morro Jable on Fuerteventura
(www.subcat-fuerteventura.com; 0034 900 507 006). Both offer complete dives down
to about 30 metres to nearby reefs, where you can see mantas, stingrays, sea
turtles and barracudas. In both cases there is a diver accompanying the boat,
who presents a show with the local wildlife. Although not cheap (prices â&#x201A;Ź 55.- to
â&#x201A;Ź 60,- in 2014) and a rather short trip (little more than an hour), this is the closest
you get to actually diving in the area.

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162

Birdlist Lanzarote and Fuerteventura
The following bird list includes all breeding and wintering birds plus regular passage migrants. Numbers between the brackets (…) refer to the routes from page 100
onwards. F refers to Fuerteventura and L to Lanzarote.
Grebes Little Grebe is rare (F, 8). In the 1950’s there was a colony at Las Peñitas.
Black-necked Grebe is a rare wintering bird in sheltered bays (F, L).
Shearwaters and petrels Cory´s Shearwater is the only sea bird easily seen from the
coast and ferry crossings. It is present from March to October (L 6, site A and B
on page 119; F7 and 13). (Note that Cory’s has recently been ‘split’ into three near
identical species; the nominate form breeds on the islands, the Mediterranean
Scopoli’s Shearwater is a migrant/winter visitor and the Cape Verde Shearwater
a vagrant). Bulwer’s Petrel, Little Shearwater and – rare – White-faced, European
and Madeiran Storm Petrels are seen on ferry crossings (Bulwer’s on L6). See also
page 84 and 157 for details on sea watching.
Gannets, cormorants and tropicbirds Northern Gannet is rare offshore during winter
months. Great Cormorant and Red-billed Tropicbird are seen in increasing numbers,
the latter now suspected to breed. Your best chance is late August to mid-October
on ferry crossings, including the one to La Graciosa (L6).
Herons, egrets, storks, ibises and spoonbills Cattle Egret is farily common near
fresh-water and breed (L+F, many on F12). Little Egret and Grey Heron are frequently seen on the coast (e.g. L1 and 6; F8 and 12). Other herons and egrets, storks
and Spoonbill are rare but regular vagrants. Small numbers of (probably feral)
Glossy Ibis and Sacred Ibis occur on the coast of Jandía, (F12).
Flamingos and ducks Ruddy Shelduck is now quite common on Fuerteventura (most
F8 and site D on page 148). Marbled Teal is fairly rare at Los Molinos (F8). All other
ducks are scarce migrants or winter visitors (Most L1 and F8). Almost annually
seen are Wigeon, Mallard, Shoveler and Teal, the latter being the commonest
winter duck on the islands. Greater Flamingos are accidentally found (L1).
Birds of Prey Buzzard is widespread on Fuerteventura, but rare on Lanzarote (best 4).
Egyptian Vulture is locally common on Fuerteventura (best F9, sites F and G on
pages 148-149). The situation of the Osprey, Eleonora’s and Barbary Falcon is reversed. They are seen mostly at the Famara cliffs (L4 and 6). Common Kestrel
is the most abundant breeding raptor on both islands, present in all open areas.
Scarce raptors that are reported regularly on passage or in winter include Marsh,
Hen and Montagu’s Harriers, Sparrowhawk, Black Kite, Booted Eagle, Hobby,
Merlin and Peregrine. There is no obvious spot where they frequently occur.
Partridges, rails, crakes and coots. Barbary Partridge is a breeding resident on both
islands (F 7, 9, 11; on Lanzarote only reliably site F on page 120).

CROSSBILL GUIDES • CANARY ISLANDS - I

Common Quail is an irregular breeder of fields (L4 and F7). Moorhen and Coot are
both residents of Fuerteventura (F8 and site D on page 148).
Bustards The Houbara Bustard is a breeding resident on both islands, more widespread
on Fuerteventura (F7, 8 and site D on page 148), but with high densities also
on the central plains of Lanzarote (L3).
Waders More than 50 species of waders have been recorded on both islands, the vast
majority as vagrants. Regular breeding birds are Black-winged Stilt, Kentish
Plover, Little Ringed Plover (e.g. L1 and F8). In winter and on migration Turnstone
(common) Ringed Plover (frequent), Whimbrel (frequent), Dunlin (rare), Bartailed Godwit (regular), Grey Plover (regular), Redshank (regular) and Greenshank
(Regular) occur at the coast (L1 and 6, sites E, H and J on pages 120-121; F7 and 12,
sites A, B and E on pages 147-149). Inland wetlands (F8, site I on page 150) and barrancos after rain regularly host wintering Redshank, Greenshank, Common and
Green Sandpipers. The sandy coasts (best L1 and F12) often have some Sanderling,
Turnstone and Dunlin during the winter.
Breeding residents on the desert plains are Stone Curlew (L3 and 6; F 7, 8, 12 and
13 and site C on page 147) and Cream-coloured Courser (L3 and F 7 and 8; rare at
F12 and 13). Both are not uncommon but hard to see.
Skuas, gulls and terns All skua species are present but rare off shore. The Yellowlegged Gull is the only breeding gull and a very common resident. Black-headed
Gull and Lesser Black-backed Gull are frequent at the coast in winter in variable
numbers. Other gulls are occasional. Sandwich Tern is common during migration
periods and winter. Common Tern is a scarce winter visitor and migrant, while
Gull-billed Tern is rare during migration periods.
Sandgrouse Black-bellied Sandgrouse is a locally encountered resident in desert
habitats on Fuerteventura mostly (best F8). It is the hardest desert bird to find
often best located by call as they fly over.
Doves and pigeons Rock Dove is widely distributed on both islands (e.g. L2 and F9).
Collared Dove is an abundant resident in built-up areas since it reached the
islands in the 1990s. Turtle Dove is one of the few summer visitors e.g. L4).
Laughing Dove is a rare resident and breeds on both islands. We found it at Gran
Tarajal (F). African Collared Dove is a rare look-alike of Collared Dove. We found
it at HarĂ­a (L4).
Parakeets Introduced Monk Parakeets maintain a population at Morro Jable (F12).
Ring-necked Parakeet breeds in resorts on Lanzarote and is present in various
sites on Fuerteventura.
Cuckoos Great Spotted and Common Cuckoo are rare on passage and in winter.
Owls Barn Owl is a rare but widely distributed breeder of cliffs and barns. Long-eared
Owl is scarce and its status as a breeding bird is not clear. Short-eared Owl is a rare
winter visitor in open areas.

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Swifts Plain and Pallid Swift breed in barrancos and are common from March to
October, roughly. Plain Swift is scarce in the winter months. Common Swift is
common during migration and winter.
Bee-eaters, Rollers and hoopoes The Hoopoe breeds and is widely distributed in
open areas on both islands. Bee-eater, Roller are rare on migration.
Woodpeckers The Wryneck is a rare bird during migration, hiding in trees and
shrubs.
Larks Lesser Short-toed Lark is a very abundant resident, breeding in all dry habitats
(e.g. L1 and 3 and F 7, 8, 9 and 1). Short-toed Lark is a rare migrant and winter
visitor but may be overlooked. Skylark is a rare winter visitor.
Martins and swallows No martins or swallows breed, but Barn Swallow and House
Martin are fairly common on passage and rare in winter. Sand Martin and Red rumped Swallow are scarce migrants.
Pipits and wagtails Berthelot’s Pipit is common and widely distributed in open dry
habitats. It is probably the most common bird on the islands. Tree Pipit is common
on passage during both migration periods. Tawny and Meadow Pipit are scarce on
passage and in open fields during winter. Red-throated Pipit is a regular but rare
migrant. Recently, Olive-backed Pipit has wintered at Costa Calma (F12). Yellow
Wagtail is locally common during migration, especially at irrigated fields and golf
resorts (e.g. site D on page 148). Grey Wagtail and White Wagtail are regular but
uncommon during migration and in winter.
Thrushes, chats, wheatears, redstarts and allies The Fuerteventura endemic Canary
Island Stonechat is locally common in gullies and on steep hillsides of the island
(e.g. F7, 8, 9, 10, 11 and 13). It is the only species of this group breeding on the islands. Whinchat, Stonechat, Robin and Black Redstart are scarce winter visitors.
Nightingale, Bluethroat and Redstart are scarce migrants in resorts. Northern
Wheatear is a fairly common on migration, while Black-eared Wheatear is a scarce
migrant. Song Thrush is a fairly frequent winter visitor.
Warblers Spectacled Warbler and Sardinian Warbler are breeding residents, the first
is common in low bushes of dry open areas (L3 and 6, all routes on F) the second
is local in lush vegetation and in gardens (L4 and F9, 10, 11 and site F on page 148).
Chiffchaff is a common winter visitor to places with tall vegetation. Note that the
Canary Chiffchaff is not found on Lanzarote or Fuerteventura, while the status
of Iberian Chiffchaff is obscure due to problems of identification. Blackcap (the
European race) Willow and Wood Warbler are present in low numbers in tall vegetation. Subalpine Warbler, Whitethroat and Garden Warbler are common migrants,
Western Olivaceous Warbler and Melodious Warbler are rare.
Flycatchers Spotted and Pied Flycatcher are scarce migrants, found in gardens and
woods. Costa Calma (F12) and Playa Blanca (site B on page 119) are good sites for
them.

CROSSBILL GUIDES • CANARY ISLANDS - I

Tits Fuerteventura Blue Tit is very local in gardens and vegetated areas (L4, F10
and 11).
Shrikes, orioles, bulbuls Iberian Grey Shrike is a widespread and common resident
in open dry areas of both islands (especially on F). There is an ongoing debate
about the precise taxonomic status of the shrike. It is variously being treated as a
subspecies of Great Grey Shrike, a form of Iberian Grey Shrike or even a separate
species.
Golden Oriole is a rare migrant, sometimes seen in gardens. The Red-vented
Bulbul, introduced from India seems to have established at some resorts on
Fuerteventura (site H on page 150).
Crows, starlings and sparrows. Raven is a widespread breeding resident of open
areas and is easily seen (e.g. L 2 and 4; F9 and 11). The Common Starling is usually
a scarce but in some years a common winter visitor. The only sparrow is Spanish
Sparrow, which is common in built up areas and resorts.
Finches The Canary is a rare breeding bird of more vegetated areas (L4). On
Fuerteventura, Trumpeter Finch is a common resident on the desert plains (e.g.
F7, 8, 9, 13). On Lanzarote it is more localised (L1 and site I on page 121). Linnet
is a frequent breeding bird of open areas. Greenfinch and Goldfinch have small
populations in resorts and other vegetated areas (best L4). Chaffinch, Serin and
Siskin are rare winter visitors.
Buntings Corn Bunting is the only resident bunting on the islands, and it is rare
(L4 and F7).

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
It is not always easy to compress research, gathering on site information, personal
observations and taking photographs in the short period of a field trip. No matter
how often you go or long you stay, there are always things you’ve missed. Hence we
are very grateful to everyone who has provided us with photographs, helped us with
additional information or verified the drafts we produced. Our special gratitude goes
out to Jaap Bouwman, David Boyer of Aragon Birding, Roelof Janssens, Jan-Herman
Lamers, Ronald Messemaker, Nicol Nijhuis, Oz Rittner, Jan van der Straaten of
Saxifraga Foundation, Gustavo Peña Tejera, Kars Veling and Remco Versluys.
We furthermore thank the team of Crossbill Guides Foundation – not just those who
worked on this guidebook and are mentioned in the colophon, but most in particular
all those who work behind the scenes to run the organisation or who support the
foundation’s work financially: Sarah Bakker, Elsbeth Gerritsen, Barbara Kwast, Theo
Verstrael, Dennis Wansink, Johanna Winkelman, Louis Wolf and Mart Wolter.
Finally we thank all of Crossbill Guides’ partners for their collaboration: Paul
Kemmeren, Jack Folkers, Kathrin Ohrmann and all others at KNNV Publishing;
Pauline Gosden, Sarah Squibb and Julie McCarron of Vine House, Jan van der
Straaten, Marijke Verhagen and all photograpers of Saxifraga Foundation and the
people of Swarovski Optik – the latter not only for being a partner of Crossbill Guides
but also for their support of the Life project to preserve Houbara Bustards. After all, it
is not just about enjoying nature and wildlife – we need to conserve it as well.
Dirk Hilbers and Kees Woutersen
Crossbill Guides Foundation, November 2014

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CROSSBILL GUIDES FOUNDATION
Lanzarote and Fuerteventura, the two
easternmost Canary Islands, are very
different from the rest of the archipelago.
Fuerteventura
With their odd cross of volcanic and
Saharan-style landscapes, they form a
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special destination â&#x20AC;&#x201C; one where you can
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find birds and other animals that occur
nowhere else in Europe or even the world.
Unexpected perhaps for these dry islands, there is beautiful flora to
explore, while the ocean itself is inviting for snorkelling or watching
dolphins and seabirds. With this guidebook youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll discover that Lanzarote
and Fuerteventura have much more to offer than just sun and beaches.
Lanzarote

The guide that covers the wildflowers, birds and all other wildlife
Routes, where-to-watch-birds information and other
observation tips
Insightful information on landscape and ecology